Nancy Eaton Named Dean Of University Libraries

5-6-97
University Park, Pa. -- Nancy Eaton, Dean of Library Services at Iowa State University of Science and Technology in Ames, Iowa, has been named Dean of the University Libraries at Penn State, effective Sept. 1. Formal approval will be taken up by the Board of Trustees at their May 16 meeting.

"Nancy Eaton has a long and distinguished record as a university librarian," said Executive Vice President and Provost John A. Brighton. "She is an acknowledged expert on information technology, and we are pleased she will join Penn State during this period of significant transition for the University Libraries."

As dean, Eaton will be the chief administrator and academic officer of the University Libraries with primary responsibilities for budget and planning, information technologies, faculty and staff leadership, fund raising, and collection development for libraries at all Penn State locations. She will hold the academic title of librarian.

At Iowa State, Professor Eaton has been responsible for the administration of the university library system since 1989, which has 47 faculty and 110 classified positions, a collection of two million volumes and an annual budget of $12.5 million in FY 96. The library system includes the Parks Library, the Veterinary Medical Library and reading rooms for physical sciences, economics and sociology, design and math.

She is a member of the board of trustees of the Online Computer Library Center and the Association of Research Libraries, is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Library Administration, and is a member of the University Computing and Networking Committee.

Among her recent articles and book chapters are "Information Technology in the Academic Environment," "New Challenges for Technical Services in the 21st Century," "Resource Sharing: The Public University Library's Imperative," and "Scholarly Publishing: Today and Tomorrow." She is a frequent speaker at national association meetings, especially on the subjects of information technology and library services and change in academic libraries.

A graduate of Stanford University, she received her Master of Library Science degree from the University of Texas at Austin where she also did post-master's degree work under a U.S. Department of Education fellowship.

Before becoming dean of library services at Iowa State in 1989, she was director of libraries and then director of libraries and media services at the University of Vermont from 1982 to 1989. Among other responsibilities, she oversaw the Bailey/Howe Memorial Library, the Dana Medical Library, the Chemistry/Physics Library, University Archives, and remote storage facility. Media Services included a media library, video production studio, graphics service, photo service and classroom delivery and support services. She held the rank of library professor.

Eaton also was technical services administrator for the Atlanta Public Library from 1976 to 1982; was automation librarian for the State University of New York at Stony Brook from 1974 to 1976; and assistant to the university librarian at the University of Texas at Austin from 1972 to 1974 after beginning her career at Texas as a catalog librarian in 1968.

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Editors: you may contact Professor Eaton at 515-294-1442.

Contact: Christy Rambeau (814) 865-7517 office or cmr7@psu.edu