March 30, 2006
TO THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY
Dear Colleagues:
I write to share with you the news that University Librarian Sarah M. Pritchard has decided to accept a position as the Charles Deering McCormick University Librarian at Northwestern University, beginning this September.
We are moving forward quickly to identify an interim Librarian and to establish a Search Advisory Committee to conduct a national search for the next University Librarian. These will be announced in the near future.
Sarah has provided exceptional leadership and service to our campus during her more than seven years as University Librarian. She has managed two on-campus libraries and two offsite facilities, including collections of nearly three million volumes. She has overseen a staff of 175, and a budget of over $16 million. During her time at UC Santa Barbara, she has expanded digital information initiatives and special collections, initiated new collaborations to support faculty in diverse disciplines, made numerous enhancements in public services, increased the Library’s development and community outreach activities, and secured campus commitment for a three-story library building addition.
Under Sarah’s leadership, the UCSB Libraries have launched major digital preservation and collection initiatives in the areas of maps, sound recordings, and graphic arts, and has also established authoritative archival collections for noted authors, national organizations, and three Nobel scientists. She has accomplished all this while also skillfully shepherding the Library through our recent budgetary challenges.
Both Executive Vice Chancellor Gene Lucas and I congratulate and thank Sarah for her many positive contributions. Please join us in wishing Sarah well in her next endeavor.
Sincerely,
Henry T. Yang
Chancellor