M E M O R A N D U M

							May 10, 2011


To:	Members of the Board of Trustees 	

From:	Nancy L. Zimpher, Chancellor 

Subject:  Appointment of Distinguished Librarian 


Action Requested

      The proposed resolution appoints Ms. Trudi E. Jacobson to the rank of Distinguished Librarian at the University at Albany.

Resolution
	
	I recommend that the Board of Trustees adopt the following resolution:

Whereas the State University of New York Board of Trustees has proudly established a historic tradition of acknowledging and honoring extraordinary faculty achievement through appointment to Distinguished Faculty Rank; and

Whereas the appointment to Distinguished Faculty Rank at the state-operated campuses is both a system-wide distinction and a promotion in rank; and

Whereas the SUNY Board of Trustees has the authority to bestow system-wide distinctions; now, therefore, be it,

Resolved that the faculty member listed below be, and hereby is, promoted to the rank of Distinguished Librarian at the state-operated campus indicated, effective May 10, 2011: 

      Ms. Trudi E. Jacobson, University at Albany








Background

      The Distinguished Librarian is a prestigious tenured University rank that is awarded to librarians whose contributions have been transformational in creating a new information environment by providing access to information, sharing or networking information resources, and fostering information literacy.  In extending its Distinguished ranks to the library faculty, the State University of New York recognizes the accomplishments of all its faculty; it also assumes national leadership within the academy by becoming the first university system to so encourage and foster the full potential of the faculty status of librarians.  
The Distinguished Librarian rank honors and promotes the achievement of personal excellence, groundbreaking professional progress, and wide-ranging benefit to the academic community.  This rank parallels the Distinguished Professor rank in terms of expected level of accomplishment and the rarity in awarding the rank.  At this time, the Distinguished Librarian rank is open to state-operated campuses of the State University.

      Further, to be eligible for nomination, a faculty member must have completed at least five years of full-time service at the rank of Full Librarian on the campus that recommends the appointment and at least ten years of service within the State University of New York.  Nominees should generally have had a longer career in librarianship than indicated by the minimum requirement.  The following encapsulates Ms. Jacobson’s accomplishments:
      
Ms. Trudi E. Jacobson – Ms. Jacobson joined the University at Albany library faculty in 1990, and is currently Librarian and Head of User Education Programs for the University Libraries.  Ms. Jacobson is known nationally for her seminal scholarship in the field of information literacy instruction.  Her nine books and many journal articles serve as a history of the transformation of librarians as agents for the development of critical thinking, research, and lifelong learning skills.  Her valuable contributions to that movement are among her most important achievements because of their transformative impact on how academic librarianship is practiced today.  Ms. Jacobson is the 2009 recipient of the Miriam Dudley Instruction Librarian of the Year, the highest honor conferred by the Instruction Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries.  In addition to her research, Ms. Jacobson is a valued instructor and colleague at the University at Albany, as well as a dedicated campus and professional citizen. 

      It is my pleasure to present the faculty member named in this resolution to the Board for its approval.  A copy of the President’s letter is attached.  The letter highlights the individual’s major career achievements, and provides the campus rationale for recommending appointment.  The full dossier is available in the Office of the Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.
      

Attachments



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Board Resolution		May 10, 2011