Library dean finalists come to campus

Finalists for the position of dean of university libraries will be on campus in coming days, bringing with them reputations for outstanding service at university libraries in the United States and abroad.

Both candidates will be available to meet members of the campus community at public forums.

“We invite all faculty, staff and students to attend these sessions and provide input that will assist in selecting the best individual to fill this important position,” Provost Raymond Alden said.

Sohair Wastawy
Public Forum: 11 a.m. Thursday, March 29, Altgeld 315

Sohair Wastawy is currently chief librarian at the Library of Alexandria, Egypt.

Wastawy began her library career in 1975 at Cairo University Library where, in 1983, she taught librarianship in the first women’s library program in Saudi Arabia. From 1988 until 2004 she served as dean of libraries at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.

She is an expert in library management at academic and research institutions, with an M.A. in library and information studies from Catholic University of America, and a Ph.D. in library and information management from Simmons College, Massachusetts.

Her most recent publication “Learning Communities: An Investigative Study into their Impact on Library Services” was published in Science and Technology Libraries in 2004.

Her vita can be viewed online at http://www.ulib.niu.edu/Vita-Wastawy.pdf.

William Garrison
Public Forum: 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 4, Altgeld 315

William Garrison is currently the associate dean of libraries and deputy university librarian at Syracuse University in New York.

Garrison began his career at Northwestern University in 1974, holding a number of cataloging positions before moving on to Stanford University in 1988, where he served as assistant chief of the catalog department. From 1990 until 2002 he worked at the University of Colorado, where his titles included classics bibliographer, principal cataloger and head of cataloging.

He has been actively involved in developing new standards for cataloging in both the print and digital environments and recently published articles on e-books and digitization.

He holds a master’s in library science from Dominican University and a master’s in Latin from the University of Illinois.

His vita can be viewed online at http://www.ulib.niu.edu/Vita-Garrison.pdf.

3-28-07