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Dear Friends of the UCLA Library,
Sometime next year, I will transition my role as the Norman and Armena Powell University Librarian to my successor. As my retirement approaches, I’ve begun to reflect upon what an incredible opportunity it has been to serve the UCLA Library and the university community.
When I joined UCLA in 2013, I inherited a Library that was already ranked among the top academic libraries in the country. This solid foundation provided me, and a smart and dedicated staff, a platform from which to innovate, ensuring that the library remains responsive to students and faculty needs and advances their research and study.
I’m proud of the work we have done over the past decade to modernize and update our libraries; I’m proud that we established the UCLA Library Data Science Center, which is supporting faculty and students in the use and preservation of research data, and I’m proud that we have continued to build amazing collections, including receiving the largest grant in the Library’s history to expand global preservation and access through our Modern Endangered Archives Program.
We have continued to evolve, and this Library has a tradition of doing so, despite budget cuts and challenges like climate change and its impact on preserving materials and weathering the unexpected, like the global pandemic. But what has always remained front and center: teaching, learning and research. Your support helped make this possible, and I thank you for your partnership.
I will retire from the university with a feeling of confidence in the future of UCLA Library, and with the knowledge that the work we’ve done together will provide a solid foundation for my successor, who no doubt will achieve great success advancing the Library’s mission while also broadening the inclusive excellence that is UCLA. That’s a good feeling and one I hope we share. Meanwhile, I am eager to continue our work together.
With appreciation,
Ginny Steel
Norman and Armena Powell University Librarian