The Provost’s Office is pleased to announce the forthcoming appointment of an Interim College Librarian, Karin Wikoff, who has accepted responsibility for leading the Library during 2021-2022 following the May 2021 retirement of our longtime College Librarian Lisabeth (Lis) Chabot. We anticipate opening the search for a permanent College Librarian this fall.
Karin Wikoff, who is stepping in as Interim College Librarian, has been with Ithaca College since 2004, providing leadership in the area of Electronic and Technical Resources since 2007. Karin has been an active member of the IC community beyond the Library, as well, serving the campus community via participation as a staff justice and College-trained advisor for sexual misconduct cases and as a Faculty Council representative. In addition, she has actively contributed to state and national professional associations. She brings considerable experience and skill to the role, and we feel fortunate she has agreed to extend her leadership to the entire Library this upcoming year.
Lis Chabot, who will retire May 14, 2021, has served as our College Librarian since August 2003. During those years, she and the Library staff have collaborated to ensure that the Library extended and strengthened its academic partnerships across the campus, evolved to meet the changing needs of faculty, students, and staff, and engaged in continuous improvement in the quality and diversity of services that are offered to our campus community.
Lis has served on the board of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) and currently serves on the Tompkins County Public Library Foundation’s Board. Her expertise is often sought as an external consultant for academic libraries at other institutions. She has proven to be a valuable campus contributor during multiple Middle States reaccreditation self-studies and review visits and has enthusiastically participated in campus initiatives around experiential learning and student employment, professional development for faculty, and affordability of academic resources.
During the pandemic, Lis and the Library staff created novel ways to ensure that students, faculty, and staff could continue to access the resources of our Library, despite the fact that we were entirely or largely remote. To contribute to academic continuity, she and her team activated innovations such as curbside pickup, online ICSM noon-hour sessions, and online librarian chats, and they facilitated greater digital access to collections for students and faculty.
It has been a genuine pleasure to work with Lis and to learn from her, and we will recognize the happy occasion of her retirement in the fall when we have fully returned to campus.