Dean's welcome
This past year the University Libraries has made great strides in supporting the University of Nevada, Reno’s students, faculty, and staff. The Libraries also directly supported the University’s mission and goals.
I’d like to share several accomplishments that illustrate our efforts:
- Taking a lead role in the University’s Sesquicentennial Celebration: On October 12, 2023, the University kicked off a year-long celebration to honor its dynamic trajectory and significance to the state of Nevada. The Libraries played a central role in providing historical research, photos, and documents to the greater University community while creating numerous digital and in-person exhibits that capture our University’s rich and complex history.
- Becoming members of the Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA): After a selective application process, GWLA invited the Libraries to become its 40th member. The GWLA membership approved this action through a ballot proposal conducted in March 2023. A dynamic, effective, project‐oriented consortium of research libraries, GWLA is recognized nationally as a leader in the transformation of scholarly communications and a facilitator in the application of new information technologies. This membership helps to raise the national profile of the Libraries.
- Completing the Libraries’ strategic plan: An interdepartmental team representing all areas of the Libraries led the strategic planning process. This team committed to creating an inclusive planning process during which they gathered feedback and insight from all members of the organization. With data collected from numerous discussion sessions and an all-staff retreat, the team created a strategic plan that speaks to the ambitious nature of the Libraries as we seek to meet the changing needs of our campus and increase our impact through our unique and evolving expertise, resources, and services. The Libraries identified four goals that align with Wolf Pack Rising, the University’s 2022-2027 Strategic Plan. We address progress toward those goals in this 2023 Best of the Best Annual Report.
I encourage you to visit the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center or browse our website. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about the accomplishments of our creative, talented, hardworking faculty, staff, and student employees.
Sincerely,
Catherine Cardwell
Dean, Libraries
