Nancy Busch named dean of University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries

            Nancy Busch is the new dean of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, UNL senior vice chancellor for academic affairs Ellen Weissinger announced today.

            Busch, who has served in the role in an interim capacity since August 2012, begins her appointment immediately.

            "It was clear to me that Nancy's interview generated widespread and enthusiastic support among the faculty and staff of the libraries," Weissinger said. "I received equally positive feedback from Chancellor (Harvey) Perlman, the vice chancellors, the deans and the Faculty Senate. Nancy will begin her tenure as dean with the trust and confidence of the campus. That is a wonderful platform for advancing the innovative work that our libraries colleagues envision."

            Busch has been a member of the UNL Libraries faculty and administration since 2003. Before she was named to the interim dean post, her responsibilities as associate dean included budget and personnel management, and supervision of staff development and diversity personnel. She was deputy director of the Nebraska Library Commission from 1989 to 2003.

            Busch earned her master's in library science from the University of Iowa and a doctorate from the University of Michigan School of Information. She has taught master's and doctoral level research methods classes, and has experience in evaluation and assessment initiatives in public, academic and state libraries. Her doctoral research investigated recruitment and retention of rural public library directors in the United States.

            Busch also is co-administrative director and chair of the internal evaluation team for UNL's National Science Foundation Institutional Transformation Project, which is working to integrate the structures to increase the number of women applicants for faculty positions in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

            The appointment is pending Board of Regents approval.

            "I am delighted and honored to serve as dean of libraries," Busch said. "With the engagement of libraries faculty and staff and our campus colleagues, we look forward to enhancing access to resources, furthering strategic collaborations with our CIC partners and improving services and spaces to enrich the learning, teaching and research experience of our students and faculty."

            The CIC is the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, a consortium of Big Ten Conference universities and the University of Chicago.

            UNL Libraries had been seeking a permanent dean since 2012, when Joan Giesecke stepped down to take a new role coordinating the university's preparation for a 2016 re-accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission.

Writer: Steve Smith