Library Staff News

a. Beverlee French Will Retire March 18

After a distinguished career spanning nearly 32 years of sterling service to UC, the CDL’s founding Director of Shared Content, Beverlee French, has decided it is time to begin a new chapter in her life.  She will be retiring effective March 18.

Beverlee is a peripatetic and tenacious cyclist, which serves as an apt metaphor for her career.  Before arriving at the CDL in 1998, Beverlee’s career carried her geographically from UC San Diego to the University of Connecticut as a CLIR management intern, and then on to UC Davis.  She has traveled widely in her professional duties and expertise as well, starting at UCSD as a cataloger before proceeding to the biomedical reference desk, the science and engineering library, and, finally at UCD, to Associate University Librarian for Sciences and Systems.  Beverlee’s distinguished service on a staggering number of UC, national, and international committees and working groups culminated with her representation of the CDL and UC’s libraries at the International Consortium of Library Consortia.

Beverlee is perhaps best known for her pioneering work building digital collections.  She has defined practices that are now commonplace in universities worldwide while helping the UC libraries continue their support of world-class research and teaching in a digital age.  Systemwide, Beverlee has contributed important strategic and tactical direction to the University and its libraries.  She has also been a shining example of how effective collaboration, indeed, the continued good health of our system of highly distinctive libraries, is built from participants’ collegiality, integrity, openness, and mutual respect.   Locally, Beverlee’s warmth, humanity, and unfailing good sense have helped the CDL retain its youthful character even as it has grown and expanded its ambitions and responsibilities.

While it is sad saying goodbye to our mentor, leader, colleague, and friend, we cannot help but be delighted that Beverlee will have more time to cycle and pursue her many other interests.  Please join the CDL in congratulating Beverlee on her many contributions to UC and the academic community, and in wishing her well in her upcoming adventures, whatever and wherever they may be.

Although this transition is particularly difficult to contemplate, we look forward to recruiting a replacement for Beverlee’s role as Director of Shared Content as soon as can be arranged.  Needless to say, given the level of systemwide interest in this role, we expect to handle the recruitment in a consultative fashion, much as we did when we hired Nancy Kushigian as the Director of Shared Print.

In the meantime, we are making arrangements that will ensure that the ship of shared licensing and acquisitions activity stays a float and that Beverlee’s crucial roles directing shared collection development, shared licensing activities, shared acquisitions and cataloging, and the CDL’s intersection with the Joint Steering Committee on Shared Collections and the Collection Development Committee continue to be occupied credibly and well.

b. Laine Farley Accepts Deputy University Librarian Position
In a related note, Beverlee French’s retirement had created a vacancy for the separate role of Deputy University Librarian.  The CDL is delighted to report that Laine Farley has accepted the invitation to take up the role of Deputy University Librarian effective March 18, 2005.

Laine will maintain her current digital library services portfolio as well.  Please join us in wishing Laine well in her new role.