President Peter Salovey has announced the reappointment of Susan Gibbons as university librarian and deputy provost, through June 30, 2021. In her second term, effective July 1, Susan also takes on new leadership responsibilities as deputy provost for collections and scholarly communication. Her portfolio as deputy provost now will include support of all of the university’s galleries, museums, and other collections, giving unified attention and new opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration to this vital subset of the university’s academic resources. (Further details on the new configuration of Susan’s role can be found on the Office of the Provost’s website.)
Many people contributed to the reappointment review process, sharing perspectives on Susan’s accomplishments and aspirations for the future of the university libraries and other collections. One recurring theme among the comments received was that Susan’s leadership has transcended Yale’s library and, indeed, has transcended Yale. She is the consummate university citizen, equally adept when representing the broader goals of the institution as when illuminating the finer details of our digital and material holdings. A respected voice within the wider academic community, she has elevated Yale’s presence on the national and international stage, notably in the areas of data management and access, and in developing new institutional partnerships.
Susan began as university librarian on July 1, 2011 and was named a deputy provost on Jan. 1, 2015. She holds M.L.S. and M.A. degrees in history from Indiana University, a professional M.B.A. from the University of Massachusetts, and a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Rochester. Prior to coming to Yale, she held library positions at Indiana University, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and the University of Rochester, where she directed digital library initiatives before being appointed in 2008 as vice provost and the Andrew H. and Janet Dayton Neilly Dean of River Campus Libraries.
Susan’s first five years at Yale have been a period of transformation and growth for the university library, linking this vital scholarly resource even more closely to our academic mission. We look forward to her further contributions in the years to come.