Chris Murry
Chris Murry is the new Director of Library Services at Western Wyoming Community College’s Hay Library.
“With only a few years as a full-time librarian under my belt, I knew it would be a great challenge and responsibility to assume a managerial role,” Chris said. “I’ve been very happy since moving to Wyoming, and I’m glad to have such an amazing opportunity within the state.”
He comes to WWCC from Sheridan College, where he had been Public Services Librarian since the fall of 2019. Originally from the Washington DC area, Chris spent many years in Pittsburgh working as a philosophy adjunct and in book stores until he transitioned to librarianship. He earned his MLIS from the University of Pittsburgh in 2018.
Chris said he has a great feeling for the future of the Hay Library. He quickly discovered it has a solid team of passionate librarians who love their library and its patrons. He sees WWCC as a strong institution with a close-knit and vibrant community.
He takes the position vacated by Janice Grover-Roosa, who now works for University of Wyoming Libraries. “Janice left a big shadow,” he said. “It will be a lot of work just to maintain her high standards.”
He sees enrollment and retention as a concern everywhere, so libraries must innovate in how they reach students with services. He plans to continue work begun at Sheridan with the Open Educational Resources workgroup. Wyoming, he said, is behind the curve on OER front. The group’s investigation showed that textbooks often cost Wyoming’s community college students thousands of dollars over the course of a degree.
He looks forward to his new role and what he can accomplish in it. “The most genuine education should challenge you in your soul,” he said, “but it’s worth it. That’s why I like this quote from an old German guy named Hegel: ‘Knowledge heals the wound it itself is.’”