Skip to main content

University Libraries

Service, Wisdom, Commitment

By Kathleen M. Webb

An effective academic library has to be responsive to the needs of many different audiences — students, faculty, researchers, staff, the community, and researchers around the world with an interest in collections that aren’t available anywhere else.

That’s one reason I count on the University Libraries Advisory Council. This body and the expertise its members bring to it have been invaluable to me in my efforts to ensure that the Libraries build relevant and engaging collections, deliver comprehensive information and research services, and provide accessible, inviting and innovative spaces for study, scholarship, dialogue and more.

Members come from a wide variety of fields: art, education, engineering, research, libraries, mathematics, banking, medicine, museums and more. Though diversely talented, all share the same commitment to provide ideas, support and advice to the University Libraries.

I am grateful for each of them.

At our most recent meeting on Friday, March 22, music professor Sam Dorf gave a presentation about a rare 15th-century antiphonary that he brings his students to see and sing from each term. Members also had a hard-hat tour of the first floor, which is in the midst of a comprehensive renovation. Part of the multi-phase Roesch Refresh, the first floor is scheduled for reopening in August.

We also congratulated several members for their service. Starting their second terms are Sam Brandenburg ’05 ’07; Frank Maus ’62 ’70; and Nancy Koch Roderer ’68. John Emery ’66 started his third term.

We also offered tribute and farewell to two members whose terms ended in 2019:

  • Jack Carlson joined the advisory council in 2011 and prior to that was a driving force in the committee that planned and executed the 2009 Dayton at Bat exhibit, which highlighted the baseball collections of Si Burick and Miriam Jacobs. His contacts through his involvement in the Society for American Baseball Research were vital in securing the participation of well-known collectors and major league players in the programs offered during the four-month exhibit. Jack was a specialist in aerodynamics and flight control at Wright-Patterson Air Force base from 1946 to 1981. He has been a board member of the Beavercreek Friends of the Library; a member of the board and president of the Ohio Friends of the Library; and a member of the board of the Ohio Library Council.
  • Jo Ferrazza joined the advisory council in 2011. Having retired from a career as a children’s librarian and director of children’s services, she brought a wealth of knowledge of and dedication to the council. She has strong passion for UD. She has four children, seven grandchildren, and many friends with whom she enjoys spending time and traveling. Her interests include music, art, and the Dayton Flyers.

The day’s events also included lunch with library faculty and staff; a presentation by music professor Samuel Dorf on a 15th-century antiphonary; a visit to the Marian Library exhibit “The Many Faces of the Madonna,” a retrospective of more than 120 gallery exhibits in the past 25 years; and a hard-hat tour of the first floor.

Members of the advisory council include:

  • Sue Ellen Boesch ’67
  • Samantha K. Brandenburg ’05 ’07
  • Sarah Burke Cahalan (ex officio)
  • Beth Doyle ’89
  • Jane A. Dunwoodie (ex officio)
  • John Emery ’66
  • Jennifer Foster (ex officio)
  • Katy Kelly (ex officio)
  • Frank C. Maus ’62 ’70
  • Georgiana C. Nye ’70
  • Nancy Koch Roderer ’68
  • Linda A. Skuns ’63
  • Nancy Stork
  • Judith Wehn ’73 ’75 (Chair)
  • Tish Wilson
Previous Post

Celebrating Pride: New Titles in Leisure Reading

Browse the collection or reserve through the catalog.
Read More
Next Post

New in the Libraries: Automatic renewal

Catalog enhancement saves time, boosts convenience.
Read More