Rebecca Graham has been reappointed as the University of Guelph’s University Librarian for a five-year term effective Sept. 1.
The decision follows an extensive review by a committee of faculty, staff and students, led by provost and vice-president (academic) Charlotte Yates.
Yates said the committee commended Graham for her vision, governance and management skills. “Rebecca is a trusted, forthright and effective University leader,” Yates said.
“She is highly strategic and well-connected globally, and brings that international knowledge to bear at U of G in terms of how she structures and manages the Library.”
In making the announcement, Yates thanked members of the review committee and the University community. She said the University has proceeded with plans to improve services and strategic planning by separating the librarian and chief information officer portfolios.
“Managing two large portfolios is a challenge, and the Library is a vital part of the University’s academic mission,” Yates said.
Graham will serve as chief information officer until Aug. 31; Yates plans to review the position in the interim.
As University Librarian, Graham leads the organization’s overall strategy and advances the Library’s engagement with the University’s academic and research missions.
Graham joined U of G in 2012 from Harvard College Library in Cambridge, Mass., where she managed 12 library buildings and was responsible for a preservation and digitization program.
She was also co-director of Harvard Medical School’s Countway Library of Medicine, and headed computing services and the digital library program at Johns Hopkins University. She has worked at the Digital Library Federation in Washington, D.C., and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Graham holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational management from Wilberforce University in Ohio and a master of library and information science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.