Category: Recognition

Art Librarian Appointed

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I am very pleased to announce that Eugénie Fortier will be joining us as our new Art Librarian beginning October 2, 2024.  Eugénie has a BA/BFA from New College of Florida, and an MA in Art History from Hunter College, as well as a Masters of Library Science from San José State University. She wrote her thesis on James McNeill Whistler.

Currently, Eugénie works at the Frick Collection in New York in their Art Reference Library. She has been working in art libraries since 2012.  Eugénie is a member of the Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) and is particularly interested in information and visual literacy.  She started a library book club, volunteers with the Prison Library Support Network, and keeps up a regular blog for the Frick Art Library.  Welcome, Eugénie!

I’d also like to thank the wonderful Megan Mitchell for once more stepping up to the plate when the Oberlin College Libraries needed her.  She has been far more than an “interim” librarian and we are deeply grateful for the important decisions and progress she has made in the Art Library.  Thanks also go to Natalie Gutiérrez-Negrón who has not only kept the ship afloat but also introduced many improvements and upgrades to the Art Library.

And finally, thanks to the marvelous search committee members, who got the job done!  Heath Patten, Eboni Johnson, Paul Heyde, Tracy Sutherland, and Sam Adams, with help from Kristina Paabus, Andria Derstine, Erik Inglis, Matt Rarey, Kevin Greenhill, and others from the art museum.

Update on Memorials for Alison

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After a lot of discussion with Eboni, library staff, STEM faculty, and SciLib student workers past and present, we have landed on three ways to pay tribute to Alison’s contributions to Oberlin:
1. We will rename the FOCL Research Award the Alison Scott Ricker Research Award (approved by FOCL)
2. We will erect a sculpture by Robert Lawrence Lobe outside the Science Library windows. Entitled Big Steel Piece, it was created in 1964 when Robert Lobe was a student at Oberlin (and apparently needed reference help on the science of steel casting before he could do it!)
It measures approx. 42 in. tall x 36 x 36. It is abstract, with no fixed viewpoint.  We will have a new  stone base created for it. 
 
3. And we will install a plaque inside the library to honor Alison’s role and service (more on that as we pull together a draft text).
For those who do not know, today is Alison’s birthday so I thought it apt to let you know today…

New role for Elizabeth Sullivan as the Academic Engagement and Information Literacy Librarian / Head of Reference and Instruction

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Elizabeth Sullivan (she/her) came to Oberlin College in 2018 as the Assessment and User Experience Librarian. She teaches information literacy classes, focusing particularly on source evaluation, locating primary sources, and ensuring that students become intentional and reflective searchers. She also designs user-centered and accessible systems, and coordinates assessment initiatives. With the Ohio 5 information literacy group, she presented “Alone No More: Community Building for Sustainable Anti-Racist Librarianship” at ACRL in 2023 and contributed the chapter, “Engaging Students in Information Literacy Through Critical Assessment,” to Kathy Abromeit’s book Music Information Literacy: Inclusion and Advocacy. In her free time she enjoys gardening with native plants, baking, walking corgis, and encouraging her Dungeons and Dragons party to be subtle in their attempts to defy assorted fictional authorities. She starts her new role on November 15. Please join me in congratulating Liz!!!