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New head librarian Fyffe brings passion and love of the prairie

by Sarah Mirk

Richard Fyffe said he became a librarian almost by accident. He emerged from University of Connecticut with a degree in philosophy and no clear career path. The one thing he knew was that he wanted "to be in an academic environment where scholars and learning mattered." Now, 20 years later, he will enter Grinnell's ivory tower as the newly hired Librarian of the College.

This is a potentially long-term appointment that comes on the brink of big changes for Burling Library: the new science library addition, a planned massive expansion of the existing Burling building and the library's swiftly changing electronic offerings will all be passed into Fyffe's hands this August. Members of the search committee that chose Fyffe from over 40 candidates were looking for a Librarian of the College who would be a strong leader for the library through its future transformations and still keep an ear out for student concerns.

The Librarian of the College is the chief administrator of Burling. He or she oversees the budget, sets library policy and represents the library to the administration and outside media. The current Librarian of the College, Christopher McKee, has held his position since 1972. While most Grinnell students probably think more about the library's architecture and collection than the decision-making that goes into choosing its staff, McKee maintains that "the most important resource of this library is its people."

McKee will enter senior faculty status at the end of this semester. With this people centered philosophy in mind, the hunt for a head librarian to fill McKee's office began in earnest last July. Grinnell placed a full-page advertisement in the Chronicle of Higher Education and sent out letters to every library school in the nation announcing the position. The search committee was headed by Jim Swartz, vice president of Academic Affairs, and included a mix of students, faculty and library staff.

According to Associate Librarian Gail Bonath, The school did not hire from within because no one applied for the position. "We wanted someone with fresh ideas and energy," Bonath said. "I've been at Grinnell for 30 years. I wanted someone who had been somewhere else and I wanted someone who would challenge us a little."

Assessment sheets, photocopied resumes and spreadsheet calendars of rounds of interviews and luncheons now fill three large, blue folders in Bonath's office in Burling. Bonath said the library was searching for someone with good leadership qualities who was active in a scholarly field and had experience with a small liberal arts college environment.

Fyffe comes to Grinnell not from a small peer institution but from the position of assistant dean in the library of the University of Kansas at Lawrence. "I was attracted to the opportunity to get to know a larger percentage of the students and faculty and have real involvement in the community and conversations about what matters to the library," said Fyffe.

For SGA Vice President Chris Ochoa '06, who served on the search committee, Fyffe's attitude toward student input won him over. "To be honest, I can't remember his scholarship at this point," Ochoa said, "but he gave off an all-around positive vibe. The fact that he seemed genuine about working with students and building a successful Burling in the future is an indicator he will be a good librarian."

While he has experience working in museum libraries similar in size to Burling, Fyffe's main career focuses are special collections and computer technology, both key to Burling's future. As Librarian of the College, Fyffe hopes to foster a close collaboration between the library and ITS, and develop a strong digital library program. "How knowledge is represented, how it's presented and shared in a society, are really critical questions," said Fyffe. "I want to have an deeper conversation about how to reach student and faculty needs."

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