KU announces departure of Dean of Libraries Lorraine Haricombe

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas Libraries announced today the departure of Dean Lorraine Haricombe, who has accepted the position of vice provost and director of the University of Texas Libraries.

Haricombe’s last day will be Dec. 12. Associate Deans Kent Miller and Mary Roach will assume the roles of interim co-deans at that time. Search information will be announced at a later date.

“The years I have enjoyed at KU have been exhilarating, challenging and most rewarding, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with thoughtful and dedicated colleagues, both in the libraries and across campus,” Haricombe said. “I am proud of the accomplishments of our library faculty and staff. I believe their efforts have moved the libraries—and by extension, the university—forward. I have no doubt the future of KU Libraries will be bright.”

Miller and Roach will lead a team to ensure a smooth transition in the months ahead.

“Dean Haricombe’s visionary approach and dynamic leadership have positioned KU Libraries at the forefront of the rapidly changing world of library and information science,” according to the interim deans. “We are grateful for her contributions, and we wish her the very best in this new endeavor.”

During her tenure at KU, Haricombe was instrumental in implementing a faculty-led open access policy at KU, the first public institution in the United States with such a policy, and ensuring increased visibility for KU research and scholarship. Haricombe was also a co-founder of the Coalition of Open Access Policy Institutions, an international advocacy group for institutions with open access policies. She also oversaw the enhancement of several library facilities across campus.

“Throughout her time at KU, Dean Haricombe effectively positioned the libraries to respond to the changing landscape of higher education and the aspirations of KU, strategically allocating resources to improve user reach and standardizing services to increase efficiency,” said Jeffrey S. Vitter, provost and executive vice chancellor. “Her international reputation as a leader in open access, as well as her thoughtful approach to the roles of libraries in research universities, will have lasting and significant influence on our campus in the years to come.” 

Haricombe serves as chair of SPARC, the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition Steering committee, an international alliance of academic and research libraries working to create a more open system of scholarly communication.  She also chairs the NIH PubMed Central National Advisory Committee to advise the director of NIH, the director of NLM and director of NCBI on the content and operation of Pubmed Central.

One of the top 50 libraries in the Association of Research Libraries by volumes held, and the largest library in Kansas, KU Libraries advance discovery, innovation and learning for KU, the state and a rapidly expanding community of world scholars.