In Fall 2024 Ms. Denise Rayman, formerly the Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives Digital Preservationist, became the inaugural IUI University Library Director of Distinctive Collections. This Directorship carries responsibility for the afore mentioned special collections and archives as well as the Herron Art Library and our library’s cultural heritage digital collections and preservation work. This restructuring allows us to develop and elevate a programmatic approach to collecting, describing, preserving, creating access to, fundraising, and celebrating our distinctive print and digital collections archived at both University and Herron libraries. Our University and Herron libraries have been collecting unique materials since their founding and in the late 1990s leapt into the creation of digital collections highlighting content we owned as well as historical maps, documents, photographs and more with collaborative partners across the city. This digitization work was spread across several library units with moments of collaboration but also multiple approaches to overall collection cultivation.
We also said farewell to long-serving (29 years!) Herron Art and Design librarian with the retirement of Sonja Lehman. Ms. Lehman began her career at the 16th St. campus and her careful development of the Herron Artists’ Book collection helped elevate the reputation of the library locally, as well as nationally. In January we welcomed a new Art and Design Librarian, Jackie Huddle who is currently the Visual Literacy and Resources Librarian at the IU Bloomington Libraries. Ms. Huddle brings valuable experience in teaching visual literacy and is an active member of Art Libraries Society of North America and the International Visual Literacy Association. Additionally, in the new year we will hold a search for a Digital Collections and Preservation Librarian. I’m thrilled that our new structure will continue our exceptional collection work through a deeply collaborative and unified approach.
I want to recognize all the folks who embraced this new approach to distinctive collections including Herron Art Library personnel: Deedee Davis and Kyle Kingen; Digitization Manager: Anna Proctor; and Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives personnel: Sam Bruer, Meg Lloyd, Molly LaPorte, Emily Nejako, Denise Rayman, and Steve Towne.
To learn more about our distinctive collections and the library personnel supporting this important work visit our digital collections, Herron Art Library Artist Book Collection, and Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives.
In solidarity,
Kristi L. Palmer
Herbert Simon Dean of University Library