Head of libraries public forums scheduled
September 20, 2018
Three candidates for the head of libraries position will give a public lecture as
part of the selection process. Individual presentations by Karen Jensen, Clement Guthro
and Steven Harris will focus on their vision for the library. Each session will be
30-45 minutes long, with questions following. Audience members will then be able to
submit online comments on each candidate. Faculty, staff and students are strongly encouraged to attend
these presentations. A reception with light hors d'oeuvres will follow forums.
Karen Jensen
ELIF 401 BP Design Theater
Watch a live feed here
Karen Jensen is a professor of library science at the UAF Rasmuson Library. She started her UAF career in 1996, serving as library assistant at the biosciences library, followed by a position as the circulation, interlibrary loan and media manager from 1998-2006. She then took her current position as faculty member and head of library collection development, overseeing the subscriptions and purchases of journals, electronic databases and books. Among other experience, she has served as president of the Alaska Library Association, and has led numerous projects and committees within the Rasmuson Library and in Alaska. Jensen earned her Master in Library and Information Science degree at the University of Washington in Seattle and her Bachelor of Arts in French at Grinnell College, Iowa.
Clement Guthro
ELIF 401 BP Design Theater
Watch a live feed here
Clem Guthro is the former dean of the library at California State University, Fullerton, where he oversaw strategic planning, staffing (25 librarians and 27 support staff), budgeting ($8 million dollars annually), and facilities. Prior to CSUF, Guthro served as the director of libraries at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, from 2003 to 2017. At Colby he provided leadership for all areas of Colby’s three libraries and on-campus library storage facility; and overseeing operations, staffing (14 library faculty and 15 support staff) and budgeting ($5.6 million dollars annually). With a library leadership team of five assistant directors, he led facilities planning and management, strategic planning and innovation, and developed proposals for new initiatives, services, and process improvements that advanced the library’s mission and vision in support of the mission of the College. He provided leadership in collaboration with strategic collection partners (Bates and Bowdoin Colleges) and in developing statewide, regional, and national programs and resources. Clem holds an doctorate in higher education leadership from Nova Southeastern University, a MLS from University of Western Ontario, and an M.A. in theology from Point Loma Nazarene University. Clem’s professional blog, LibrariesR: Libraries and the Academy in a Changing World can be found at https://lrlacw.blogspot.com/.
Steven Harris
Location: Schaible Auditorium
Watch a live feed here
Steven Harris has worked in academic libraries for over thirty years, holding positions as a student worker, graduate assistant, paraprofessional, faculty librarian and administrator. Across the span of that career, his primary roles have been humanities librarian and head of collections, but his work and administrative knowledge have spanned acquisitions, serials, cataloging, reference, teaching, collection development, special collections, digital initiatives and library IT. A native of Utah, Harris holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from Weber State College (now University) and University of Utah, respectively. He also earned a Master of Library Science degree from the University of Arizona. He has worked as a professional librarian at six universities: Texas A&M, Louisiana State, University of Tennessee, Utah State, University of New Mexico, and the University of Nevada Reno.
For more information about the series of presentations and candidates, visit our website or contact the Office of the Provost at 474-7096, 474-6634 or uaf.provost@alaska.edu.