A farewell reception for departing University of Wyoming Libraries Dean Maggie Farrell is set for Tuesday, June 23, from 3:30-5:30 p.m. in Room 506 of Coe Library.
Maggie Farrell
Farrell, a UW dean since 2002, has accepted a position at Clemson University.
Led by Farrell, UW Libraries expanded and renovated William Robertson Coe Library, adding 94,500 square feet, a food and coffee café, and a 24-hour computer lab. With more than 700,000 visitors each year, UW Libraries houses a collection of more than 1.5 million volumes, thousands of electronic books and hundreds of databases.
“Maggie has been a constant presence in university-wide initiatives and, during the last two years, she has offered support in addressing the numerous unanticipated challenges that have arisen across campus,” says David Jones, UW vice president for academic affairs.
Myron Allen, professor of mathematics and former vice president for academic affairs, says Farrell transformed UW’s libraries.
“She helped usher in a five-fold increase in the libraries’ collection budget, and she found ingenious ways to increase our researchers’ access to scholarly works,” Allen says.
Lori Phillips, associate dean of libraries, says the UW Libraries gained national and international visibility under Farrell’s leadership. Faculty travel stipends, coupled with expectations for active participation and full accountability back to the organization, led to an expansion of faculty publications, presentations and leadership.
“Library faculty members are at the table for important national and international discussions relating to academic libraries and their overall support of higher education,” Phillips says.
“I am proudest of being part of a team of librarians and staff members who work hard for our students, faculty and the Wyoming community. Any success that I may have is due to the efforts of many within the libraries,” Farrell says.