Dean of Libraries steps down, Breslin steps in

Laura Probst, Dean of Libraries

Vincent Fernandez/Staff Writer

After leading the University libraries through budget cuts and the rapid evolution of technology for five years, Dean of Libraries Laura Probst has decided to step down as dean, effective at the end of August.

In a memorandum sent to the university community last Thursday, Douglas Wartzok, University Provost and Executive Vice President, announced Probst’s decision.

“I want to thank Dean Probst for her service. These five years have …been a time of significant change in how information is stored and accessed. We have benefited from someone who kept FIU abreast of these changes,” Wartzok stated in the memo.

In light of Probst’s decision, Wartzok has chosen Thomas A. Breslin, former chair of the Faculty Senate and member of the Board of Trustees, to serve as Interim Dean while a committee is formed to search and screen for a new dean.

“I will work with all the librarians to achieve [the University’s] goals. I have worked with so many of them in the senate to build and refine the University curriculum and advise the University administration as part of the shared governance process,” Breslin said.

Wartzok has chosen Kenneth Furton, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, to chair the committee that will search for a new dean. According to Furton, the committee is still being formed and the University aims to have it in place early fall.

In regards to the search criteria, Furton said the University is looking for someone knowledgeable on the nature of the field.

“We want someone who understands, appreciates and values the traditional role of libraries in universities while… attuned to the rapidly changing dynamics of the field as many resources move to digital and as student needs expand beyond quiet study spaces to collaborative learning areas and platforms.”