Richard Szary Named Director of the Wilson Library, AUL for Special Collections
Reposted Sept. 1, 2006 - The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library has appointed Richard Szary to be Director of the Louis Round Wilson Library and Associate University Librarian for Special Collections. His appointment is effective September 1, 2006.
In this newly created position, Szary will provide leadership for the Louis Round Wilson Library, which consists of the Manuscripts Department (comprising the Southern Historical Collection, Southern Folklife Collection, and University Archives), the North Carolina Collection (including the North Carolina Collection Gallery and Photographic Archives), and the Rare Book Collection.
One of Szary's chief responsibilities will be to merge these individual collections into an integrated special collections library that serves the needs of scholars and students today and into the future, said Sarah C. Michalak, University Librarian and Associate Provost for University Libraries.
"This is a critical and exciting moment for the Wilson Library and for special collections at Carolina," said Michalak. "Rich Szary brings a deep understanding of special collections and keen insight into their value and potential. His leadership will help advance the reputation of the Wilson Library as one of the premiere special collections libraries in the country."
Szary will additionally administer the University Library's expanding digital collections department including its award-winning Documenting the American South digital library and the new Carolina Digital Library.
Szary said that he sees the combined focus of the position as a way to "further special collections' missions of documenting our society and culture and of bringing them alive for teaching, research and personal enrichment. The Wilson Library's strong collections and record of service offer many opportunities to serve this mission and to expand it through the technological capabilities of the Carolina Digital Library."
"I look forward to joining the staff of UNC's library in making the special collections of the Wilson Library an even more valuable and accessible resource for the university, the state and the wider scholarly community," he said.
Szary comes to UNC from the Yale University Library, where he served since 1991 as the Carrie S. Beinecke Director of Manuscripts and Archives and University Archivist, and, prior to that, as the assistant head of Manuscripts and Archives. From 1985 to 1988, Szary was assistant project manager and then program manager at the Smithsonian Institution's Office of Information Resource Management. He previously held posts at the Smithsonian Institution Archives as assistant and associate archivist.
Szary has written and published extensively, especially in the area of archival description. He holds a B.A. in History from DePaul University in Chicago and an M.A. in Asian Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 2000, he was named a Fellow of the Society of American Archivists, the highest honor bestowed on individuals by that organization.
