From the Dean

head shot portrait of person
Ivan Gaetz
Dean of Libraries

I begin my contribution to the spring newsletter on a sad note of the passing of long-serving staff member of UW Libraries, Matt Sprinkle, on December 26th, just weeks after retiring.  He began employment at UW Libraries in April 2001, serving primarily in Technical Services and then in Collection Development. Matt completed an M.A. and then a Master of Library Science in 2010.  He brought much thoughtfulness and creativity to his work at the University. He added joy and talent to many Libraries' social events, including musical performances of his home-grown Rock and Roll band. Matt is greatly missed by his colleagues at UW Libraries.    

UW Libraries was thrilled in early January as the first volume of the University of Wyoming Press was published under the auspices of the University Press of Colorado. Our “imprint” appears alongside the collection of scholarly monographs of the University Press of Colorado, including Utah State University Press and the University of Alaska Press. For the first time, the University of Wyoming joins the world of University presses to advance knowledge and scholarship, focusing on particular interests in our region of the Rocky Mountains and northern plains. As this initiative unfolds, UW Libraries underwrites the costs of supporting this exciting venture that advances the new strategic vision and plan of the University of Wyoming in “raising UW’s scholarly capacity and profile nationally and internationally.” 

The book, The Art and Life of Merritt Dana Houghton in the Northern Rockies, 1878 – 1919 by Michael A. Amundson presents documentation of the life and development of communities throughout Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Washington in their formative years. Replete with sketches, photographs, and text, the volume shows our region's landscape, wildlife, and economic opportunities during its formative years. For those reading this from our e-newsletter, we’re delighted to offer 40% off with code AMUN23 (offer expires 4/30/23). Click here to order the book and find out more information

the book cover of "The Art and Life of Merritt Dana Houghton in the Northern Rockies"

On another front, UW Libraries has begun a “non-fungible token” (NFT) project in partnership with the University of Wyoming Center for Blockchain and Digital Innovation, the University of California-Santa Barbara, the University of Notre Dame and Yale University, along with Skilltype (a commercial software company based in Louisiana), to explore the possibilities of marketing digital documents and images in our special collections within the cryptocurrency environment. This can potentially create a funding line previously unavailable to academic libraries. Updates on this project will be provided in the coming months. 

Partnering with the Wyoming Institute for Humanities Research, the Department of English, and several others, UW Libraries helped bring to campus the noted scholar, educator, and social activist Angela Davis for a public lecture on March 21st, drawing over 1,000 attendees. Her emphasis of building communities in the struggle for economic, racial, and gender justice has been transformative. Our partnership for this event further supports the fine work of UW Libraries’ standing on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice.  

In January, the acclaimed author, Stephen Markley, published The Deluge, his second major novel. Covering topics of climate change and dystopian consequences, Markley’s epic traces the lives of a stunning array of characters in “polyphonic narration, silken sentences and elaborate world-building.” (NYT Book Review). Markley is scheduled to come to campus the last week of September for University and public talks and presentations. Details are to be announced in due course. This program is in partnership with the Honors College.

On a personal note, I plan to retire this August after seven full years at UW as Dean of Libraries and over 35 years in the library field, primarily in senior administration. Working at UW has been a joy, where I’ve experienced amazing opportunities with our remarkable team at UW Libraries, developing good collegial relationships with the University deans, and serving under talented and visionary University leaders. It has been especially invigorating to explore and help develop new technologies for our libraries and rethink exciting ways to deliver library programs, resources, and services to the University and all residents of Wyoming. I believe UW Libraries is well-positioned to embrace the challenges and opportunities of the future under the leadership of Interim Dean of Libraries Cass Kvenild and our fantastic team of librarians, staff, and student workers. 

Dean Ivan Gaetz
igaetz@uwyo.edu

University of Wyoming Libraries

Dept. 3334

1000 E. University Ave. 

Laramie, WY 82071

(307) 766-3190

(800) 442-6757

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