College & Research Libraries News
People
PROFILES
PATRICIA M. Battin has been named vice- president and university librarian at Columbia University, it has been announced by Columbia President William J. McGill.
A librarian in univer- sities for nearly four- teen years, Battin will take charge of one of the largest private re- search library systems in the nation. The Co- lumbia University Li- braries, covering both the arts and sciences and the professions, contain more than 4,730,500 volumes and circulate more than 1,300,000 volumes annually.
Patricia M. Battin
She will assume responsibilities held for eight years by Warren J. Haas, who became president of the Council on Library Resources in Washington, D.C., in January. The effective date of her appointment is March 1, 1978. She becomes Columbia’s first woman vice-president.
Battin has been director of the Library Services Group in the Columbia Libraries since 1974 and has been responsible for coordinating Columbia’s participation with the Harvard, Yale, and New York Public libraries in Research Libraries Group, Inc., a consortium of cooperating library systems. During the ten previous years she rose from library intern to assistant director of the library at the State University of New York at Binghamton.
“Research libraries will face unprecedented challenges during the next several years, as we seek new ways to preserve our intellectual heritage in an environment of shrinking financial resources and increasing service demands,” Battin said in accepting her new position. “The Columbia University library staff is a strong and talented one, and the quality of the collections is excellent. I look forward to an exciting and stimulating association as we respond to the challenge of maintaining the distinctive library services which have long been a hallmark of Columbia University.”
Battin was bom in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, June 2, 1929. She was graduated from Swarthmore College in 1951 with a B.A. in English literature and election to Phi Beta Kappa. She pursued American studies at the University of Minnesota from 1952 to 1954, married, and raised a family. She returned to university life and earned a master of science degree in library service at Syracuse University in 1967. She studied Ameri- can history at the State University at Bingham- ton, where she was promoted through the ranks of assistant librarian, associate librarian, and as- sistant to the director with responsibility for budget and personnel. She was the library’s as- sistant director for reader services when she left in 1974 to join Columbia.
She is a member of the board of directors of the Research Libraries Group and serves on the selection committee of the Council on Library Resources Library Service Enhancement Pro- gram. She is a consultant to the National En- dowment for the Humanities and is a member of the NEH College Library Panel and the Ameri- can Library Association.
She has two daughters and a son and lives on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, near Columbia.
Fred McCrae Peterson has been appointed director of libraries at the Catholic University of America. Former associate chairman of the university’s department of library science, Peter- son has been acting di- rector of the university libraries since July 1977.
The university librar- ies house approximately one million volumes, the largest collection among the District of Columbia universities. It is known among scholars for its special collections, including the 10,000 rare books from the eighteenth-century library of Pope Cle-ment XI.
Fred McCrae Peterson
Peterson joined Catholic University in 1973 as assistant professor in the department of library and information science. He served as associate chairman of the department from 1974 to 1977. In 1977 Peterson developed Motivation; A Vital Force in the Organization: A Horne Based Study Course for Library and Information Profession- als, which will be published and distributed by Catholic University.
Peterson is a member of the American Library Association, Catholic Library Association, D.C. Library Association, and is active in the Associa- tion of American Library Schools, where he served as program chairman for the annual meet- ing in 1975.
Peterson was bom in 1936 in Minneapolis and received his B.A. in 1958 and M.A. in 1961 at the University of Minneapolis. He received his Ph.D. in 1975 at Indiana University. He served on the faculty at Iowa State University at Ames in library administration from 1961 to 1970 where his last position was that of associate director of the library.
Edward Connery Lathem, Dartmouth’s dean of libraries and librarian of the college, will assume a new position at Dartmouth College after leaving his present post at the close of the current academic year.
President John G. Kemeny has announced that Dean Lathem, who indicated a year ago his intention to conclude in June of 1978 his quarter-century associa- tion with the college’s library system, will be named Woodward Fel- low, effective July 1.
Edward Connery Lathem
Following a year’s sabbatical leave during 1978-79, Lathem will actively take up, on a part- time basis, the duties of his fellowship, which has been named for Bezaleel Woodward, first librar- ian of the college, as well as one of its earliest teachers and the holder of several of its major administrative posts.
Recalling that he had said, in acknowledging Lathem’s letter of resignation in December 1976, that Lathem’s complete separation from Dartmouth would constitute “an irreparable mistake for the institution,” President Kemeny expressed particular satisfaction that, with trustee endorsement, the Woodward Fellowship will assure continuance of an active association between the college and its longtime librarian.
In his capacity as Woodward Fellow, Lathem will combine and expand several commitments that he has, over the years, carried forward while concurrently serving within the libraries.
The editor or compiler of more than a score of books, Lathem is recognized as a leading authority on Robert Frost and has edited several volumes of the famous author’s writings, including the standard comprehensive collection (1969) of Frost’s poetry. Other of Lathem’s publications deal with historical and biographical subject matter, among them a volume of Calvin Coolidge letters, which received in 1970 an award of merit from the American Association for State and Local History, and a work entitled Chronological Tables of American Newspapers 1690-1820, issued in 1972 by the American Antiquarian Society. During his recent presidency of the Association of Research Libraries, he edited two substantial historical-bibliographical volumes for that body—76 United Statesiana and Thirteen Colonial Americana.
With respect to publication interests at Dartmouth, Lathem was responsible for the organization of the Microfilm Edition of the Papers of Daniel Webster and the launching of the overall Webster Papers project, was originator of the concept for establishing the University Press of New England and has coordinated such historical enterprises as the college’s oral history program and books relating to former presidents Ernest Martin Hopkins and John Sloan Dickey. He is the editor of Dickey’s recently published volume The Dartmouth Experience.
Under his Woodward Fellowship appointment, Lathem will continue to exercise oversight regarding matters associated with college history, its materials, and dissemination. He will as Woodward Fellow extend his editorial and scholarly activities, both personally and on behalf of the college, and from time to time be concerned with special academic initiatives at Dartmouth. In addition, he will be involved with major benefactions to the college, including the maintenance of close institutional relationships with donors and others.
Lathem will report, in his new capacity, to Vice-President Leonard M. Rieser, dean of the faculty of arts and sciences and chief academic officer of the college. Dean Rieser, in commenting on President Kemeny’s announcement, spoke of his warm pleasure that Lathem’s wide-ranging interests and talents will continue to be available to Dartmouth.
Bezaleel Woodward (1745-1804), from whom the fellowship takes its name, was a native of Lebanon, Connecticut, and a student, son-in-law, and devoted co-worker of the Rev. Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth’s founder and first president. Woodward came to Hanover after Wheelock had secured a charter for his college from the royal governor of New Hampshire in 1769, and he was the first tutor appointed by the college’s trustess. In subsequent years he served in various professorial and administrative capacities, including that of librarian, as well as becoming a prominent figure in patriotic efforts during the American Revolution and in town and regional affairs thereafter.
PROMOTIONS
CYNTHIA Gozzi was promoted to the position of head, acquisitions department, Bird Library, Syracuse University, as of January 9, 1978, after serving as serials librarian since November 1977 and acquisition/serials librarian from 1976. From 1970 to 1976 she was editor of the SUNY Union List of Serials. She received her M.L.S. from Syracuse University, her Dip. Ed. and B.A. from the University of New England (Australia).
Shirley Ellsworth was promoted to the position of head, catalog department, Bird Library, Syracuse University, as of February 16, 1978. She formerly served as OCLC Cataloging Librarian and worked as bibliographic searcher at SUNY/New York State Library CONSER Project from 1974 to 1975; and from 1973 to 1974 she worked as serials/reference librarian at Utica College. She received her M.L.S. from SUNY at Geneseo, and her B.A. from Harpur College.
SHERRILYNNE Shirley has been promoted to associate director at the Norris Medical Library on the University of Southern CALIFORNIA Health Science Campus. She was previously public services librarian there. Shirley received her A.B. and her M.S. from Indiana University. She was an information analyst for the UCLA Brain Information Service during 1972-74.
APPOINTMENTS
ELEANOR BEST—assistant professor and catalog librarian—NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY, Chicago.
MURRAY F. Bradley—head, reader’s services division—U.S. NAVAL WAR COLLEGE, Newport, Rhode Island.
Christine Bunting—slide librarian—University of California, Santa Cruz.
Martha Cooney—reference librarian—Montclair State College, New Jersey.
Michael G. Cotter—documents and instructional services librarian—EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY, Greenville, North Carolina.
MARTIN COURTOIS—assistant information desk librarian—CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, Long Beach.
John P. Cummings—associate librarian— U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland.
NANCY A. Davey—assistant head, cataloging department and SOLINET-OCLC coordinator librarian—East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina.
KEE DeBoer—head social sciences/business reference department—CALIFORNIA STATE University, Long Beach.
Charles Fineman—subject bibliographer in modern literature and languages—UNIVERSITY of California, Santa Cruz.
Sue FULLER—cataloging librarian—UNIVERSITY of Texas at Austin.
DENIS L. Girard—assistant professor and assistant education reference librarian—NORTHEASTERN Illinois University, Chicago.
F. Pamela Graham—chief of technical services and head cataloger, Law Library—UNIVERSITY OF Miami, Coral Gables, Florida.
Richard W. Griffin—serials cataloger, humanities research center—UNIVERSITY OF Texas at Austin.
Norma HaimeS—reference librarian—
Montclair State College, New Jersey.
David Heisser—documents librarian— Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts.
JOSEPH J. LAUER—librarian, Sahel Documentation Center, International Library—MICHIGAN State University, East Lansing.
Dennis R. Lawson—curator, manuscripts division—East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina.
ANNE Whaley LeClercQ—head, Undergraduate Library—University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
George L. McAlister—librarian—Loma Linda University, California.
COLIN McKirdy—information systems manager—UNIVERSITY OF Lowell, Massachusetts.
PHYLLIS Meyer—assistant information desk librarian—CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, Long Beach.
MAUREEN E. Neff—rare books cataloger, humanities research center—UNIVERSITY OF Texas at Austin.
Lawrence W. Onsager—chairman, department of periodicals—LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY, California.
Nancy Putnam—head of acquisitions—Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
JOHN Rawlings—editorial and administrative assistant, collection development program— Stanford University, California.
Louis J. REITH—cataloging librarian—East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina.
Reddy Rodda—engineering librarian, Science-Engineering Library—UNIVERSITY OF Tennessee, Knoxville.
BRENDA Rueger—rare book librarian— Stanford University, California.
HERBERT D. Safford—director of libraries—Northern Montana College, Havre.
Patricia renn Scanlan—reference librarian— DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana.
PAMELA Smith—assistant information desk librarian—California State University, Long Beach.
ROSE Smith—reference librarian, Extension Library—UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN, Madison.
Charles Tremper—catalog librarian— Syracuse University, New York.
JOSEPH Vambery—professor of law and law librarian, School of Law Library—PACE UNIVERSITY, White Plains, New York.
SARAH Watstein—assistant information desk librarian—California State University, Long Beach.
Lea WELLS—personnel librarian—UNIVERSITY of Tennessee, Knoxville.
STEPHEN Zietz—reference librarian/visual arts specialist—State University of New YORK, Purchase.
RETIREMENTS
William Jennings Chalker, coordinator of reader services, Carl S. Swisher Library, Jacksonville University, Florida, retired April 30.
Ella-Belle S. Groves, chairman, department of periodicals, LOMA Linda UNIVERSITY, California, has retired.
Elizabeth Hamer Kegan, assistant librarian of Congress for American and library studies,
Library of Congress, Washington, D C., retired March 17.
GORDON A. Rowell, chief librarian and professor, Kingsborough Community College of the City University of New York, Brooklyn, retired on September 1, 1977.
DEATHS
Lee C. PETRASEK, assistant head of the acquisition department, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, Berkeley, died March 15.
Article Views (By Year/Month)
| 2026 |
| January: 52 |
| 2025 |
| January: 9 |
| February: 11 |
| March: 8 |
| April: 14 |
| May: 22 |
| June: 21 |
| July: 16 |
| August: 43 |
| September: 61 |
| October: 44 |
| November: 46 |
| December: 74 |
| 2024 |
| January: 5 |
| February: 1 |
| March: 2 |
| April: 5 |
| May: 6 |
| June: 5 |
| July: 8 |
| August: 5 |
| September: 5 |
| October: 0 |
| November: 7 |
| December: 7 |
| 2023 |
| January: 3 |
| February: 5 |
| March: 1 |
| April: 5 |
| May: 2 |
| June: 3 |
| July: 2 |
| August: 0 |
| September: 4 |
| October: 2 |
| November: 1 |
| December: 6 |
| 2022 |
| January: 0 |
| February: 0 |
| March: 2 |
| April: 0 |
| May: 2 |
| June: 6 |
| July: 2 |
| August: 2 |
| September: 4 |
| October: 2 |
| November: 1 |
| December: 3 |
| 2021 |
| January: 4 |
| February: 6 |
| March: 0 |
| April: 3 |
| May: 2 |
| June: 4 |
| July: 1 |
| August: 3 |
| September: 2 |
| October: 5 |
| November: 4 |
| December: 3 |
| 2020 |
| January: 3 |
| February: 1 |
| March: 4 |
| April: 0 |
| May: 12 |
| June: 7 |
| July: 5 |
| August: 4 |
| September: 1 |
| October: 3 |
| November: 2 |
| December: 5 |
| 2019 |
| January: 0 |
| February: 0 |
| March: 0 |
| April: 0 |
| May: 0 |
| June: 0 |
| July: 0 |
| August: 5 |
| September: 4 |
| October: 5 |
| November: 0 |
| December: 5 |