NCSU Libraries Focus Online

Volume 26 number 2 - Winter 2006

New Library Personnel

Kevin Schlesier

Kevin Schlesier became the NCSU Libraries’ exhibits and outreach librarian for special collections, effective September 26, 2005. He plays a leading role in the expanding operations of the Special Collections Research Center, the physical renovation of which will include a state-of-the-art exhibit gallery. He is responsible for all aspects of the Libraries’ exhibits program and will provide tours, lectures, symposia, class visits, and other educational programs to the NCSU community. Schlesier works with curators to plan exhibits, taking the lead in overall design and presentation. He also participates in the creation of online exhibits and coordinates the mounting of traveling exhibits borrowed from other institutions.

Since 2001, Schlesier was the exhibition coordinator at the National Library of Medicine (NLM). He received the NLM Special Act Award in 2004 for exceptional contributions to the concept development and production of Changing the Face of Medicine, which highlighted America’s women physicians. He was also recognized for his work on the NLM exhibition An Odyssey of Knowledge. Before joining NLM, he was project assistant for an independent exhibition studio in Washington, D.C.

Schlesier holds an M.A. in museum studies, with a concentration in exhibition development, from George Washington University, and a B.A. in history cum laude from SUNY-Binghamton. He is active professionally, most notably with the American Association of Museums and the National Association for Museum Exhibition.

Barbara Brenny

Barbara Brenny became the NCSU Libraries’ visual resources librarian on October 3, 2005. Based in the Harrye B. Lyons Design Library, Brenny coordinates services for use of visual resources in many formats, including slides, photographs, and digital images while working with faculty and students in the College of Design to determine their service and collection needs. Brenny also participates in collection management activities and provides reference and research assistance and library instruction.

Most recently, Brenny worked as curatorial assistant for the visual resources collection of the University of Minnesota College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. She helped develop metadata projects to broaden and improve access to collections. She has been involved in a broad range of other activities, including usability testing, reference and instruction, and preservation and conservation. Brenny worked collaboratively to transition a collection of 35mm slides to an online catalog of downloadable digital images accompanied by high-quality information. Earlier, she served as digitization assistant in the Visual Resources Center of the art history department at the University of Minnesota.

Brenny holds an M.L.I.S. from the Dominican University and a B.A. in art history from the University of Minnesota. She is a member of the Art Libraries Society of North America and the Visual Resources Association.

Katherine Dexter Willis

Katherine Dexter Willis was appointed reference librarian for management and economics effective September 1, 2005. She works with faculty and students in the College of Management to meet their information needs by providing reference service; managing the reference collection in the areas of management, business, and economics; overseeing the Business Information Network online portal for the college; and providing instruction in research methods. She will continue to support the College of Education.

Willis has served as librarian for education, communication, and psychology since joining the Libraries in 1999. She served as liaison to the College of Education and Departments of Communication and Psychology, provided reference and research assistance, and developed subject resource guides. She also delivered instruction in the use of library resources and research tools. She has coordinated disability services and been an active member of library committees and the Web site redesign project.

She holds an M.S.I. with a concentration in library and information science from the University of Michigan, where she was selected as a University Library Associate with responsibilities in reference and information literacy research initiatives. She earned a B.A. from Hamilton College in English and creative writing.

Maria Collins

Maria Collins joined the NCSU Libraries as serials librarian on November 7, 2005. Collins manages the acquisition of approximately 52,000 serials subscriptions that support the research, teaching, and extension programs of the university. She is engaged in efforts to manage digital and licensed resources and to ensure effective access to all serials resources in a wide variety of formats.

For the past six years, Collins served as serials coordinator at Mississippi State University, where she supervised staff and managed a combined serials and electronic resources budget of approximately $4 million. She also served as library liaison for subject bibliography for the fields of plant and soil sciences. Before attending graduate school, she taught English high school classes.