NCSU Libraries Focus Online

Volume 25 number 3 - Spring 2005

Susan K. Nutter Named 2005 Librarian of the Year

By Anna Dahlstein, External Relations

Vice Provost and Director of Libraries Susan K. Nutter has been named the 2005 Librarian of the Year by the national publication Library Journal. Nutter is the sixteenth recipient of the prestigious national honor and was chosen from a field of professional librarians throughout North America for her "outstanding accomplishments in transforming academic librarianship," said John N. Berry III, editor-in-chief of Library Journal. The award is celebrated in a cover story of the January issue of the magazine. Library Journal is the oldest and most respected publication covering the field of librarianship and is read by more than 100,000 librarians nationwide.

With 3.2 million volumes, NC State does not rank high among research libraries in terms of sheer size. The characteristics that set the NCSU Libraries apart are the strengths of its collections in the specific disciplines of the university, the caliber of the library staff, and the quality and innovation of the services they offer. "People . . . always think of the big names, and think that is where things are happening. We had to put this library on the map, both in this area, and in the state and nation," Nutter explained in Library Journal. Nutter has certainly succeeded. Shortly after she came here from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the NCSU Libraries ranked 101st compared to its peers in the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). Within a little over a decade, she led the Libraries' climb to 32nd place in North America--an unprecedented accomplishment in ARL history.

Other library initiatives included its being one of the first libraries to remain open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week during the academic year; pioneering the creation of a Learning Technology Service to assist faculty in developing online courses; and being the very first library in the nation to hire an intellectual property attorney to help both librarians and faculty interpret how copyright law protects or limits their access to information. The Scholarly Communication Center, state-of-the-art Digital Media Lab, Usability Research Lab, and Digital Library Initiatives Department, form part of the Learning and Research Center for the Digital Age.

NCSU librarians have been recognized nationally for their cutting-edge work, earning accolades in 2003 and 2004 for Web-based resources and tutorials. In 2000 the NCSU Libraries won the first-ever Excellence in Academic Libraries Award in the university library category. The award, sponsored by the Association of College and Research Libraries, recognizes staff who work together as a team to develop academic libraries that are outstanding in furthering the educational missions of their institutions.

To Nutter, what is more important than national awards is the support that NCSU faculty and students have given to the library to acknowledge a job well done. When budget cuts threatened the D. H. Hill Library's round-the-clock access three years ago, students conducted a "read-in" to demonstrate how important overnight hours were to them. When NC State faculty were offered a salary raise in the mid-1990s, they voted to forgo the money in favor of the library and student financial aid. According to Michael K. Stoskopf, a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, "That generous gift, made with enthusiasm by the entire university faculty, was the catalyst that allowed the transformation of our library. . . . [Nutter] provided the vision and made it possible for literally thousands of faculty to show their greatness and to be heroes."

Nutter's nomination received enthusiastic support from members of the NCSU community as well as fellow librarians across the country. Columbia University's Vice President for Information Services and University Librarian James G. Neal noted the importance of Nutter's leadership in the Libraries' "meteoric growth and excellence," going so far as to call her "the Librarian of the Decade." Carla J. Stoffle, the University of Arizona's dean of university libraries, emphasized, "Susan has been innovative in creating services and access to electronic materials that have provided models for the entire profession." Karin Wittenborg, university librarian at the University of Virginia, said, "Susan plays a major role in recruiting and advancing the next generation of library leaders. . . . She actively seeks out and personally mentors individuals who are considering librarianship, librarians new to the profession, mid-career librarians, and, by example, her peers."

One person who works very closely with Nutter is Carolyn Argentati, the associate vice provost and Donald E. Moreland deputy director of libraries. She detailed Nutter's efforts on numerous fronts, including her commitment to recruiting librarians and staff from under-represented groups through initiatives such as the NCSU Libraries Fellows Program and the Peer Research Advisors program. Argentati notes that Nutter has, "the ability to set high standards and then instill throughout the organization a sense of confidence that each individual's contributions are special and will result in truly exceptional achievements. . . . Susan does this on a daily basis, and as a result this library thrives as the heart of the university community and a state and national leader."

Nutter serves on the Executive Committee of the Digital Library Federation and is a member of its Steering Committee. She also serves on the Steering Committee and is a founder of NC LIVE, an unparalleled public-private venture that places a virtual library in the reach of every one of North Carolina's 7.5 million residents. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Networking Initiative (NCNI) and of Internet 2, a collaborative initiative of the North Carolina Research Universities and high-technology industries with the most advanced operational networking system infrastructure in the nation.