Holy Cross Names New Director of Library Services

WORCESTER, Mass. – Kathleen M. Carney, associate university librarian at Boston College, has been named the director of library services at the College of the Holy Cross.  The announcement was made today by Timothy R. Austin, vice president of academic affairs and dean of the College.

During more than two decades at Boston College, Carney has held positions of steadily increasing responsibility. Most recently, her portfolio included research, instructional and access services. In this role, she has supervised 26 professional librarians and more than 40 support staff.  She also served as Primary Investigator for a $2 million grant from the National Archives/National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Prior to joining Boston College, Carney was employed as a librarian at Loyola University Chicago.

Carney was selected by Holy Cross after a national search chaired by James Kee, associate professor of English. She will assume her new position on June 1. She succeeds James Hogan, who served as director of the Holy Cross libraries for 32 years before retiring last July. Karen Reilly served as interim director during the 2009-2010 academic year.

“Kathleen Carney will bring to Holy Cross a record of professional achievement in the rapidly changing field of library services,” commented Dean Austin. “In addition to leading several initiatives at Boston College that exploited the potential of new technologies to stimulate student learning, she has served as a member of multiple committees of the Association of College and Research Libraries, chairing its prestigious Appointments Committee in 2003-2004. Her letter of application particularly emphasized her excitement at the prospect of continuing her career at another Jesuit institution – and one that simultaneously espouses the ideals of a liberal arts education.”

“When I arrived on campus I was immediately struck by the quality and commitment of the faculty, staff and students I met,” says Carney. “I am excited and feel privileged to be joining such a fine institution and I am looking forward to working with the wonderful staff in the libraries at Holy Cross.”

Carney holds an A.B. degree in sociology from Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia; an M.A. in library and information science from the University of South Florida; and an M.S. in administrative studies from Boston College.

She will direct the services and operations at the Holy Cross libraries, which include holdings of more than 630,000 books, periodicals and serials.  The College libraries include Dinand Library, housing archives and special collections; Fenwick Music Library; O’Callahan Science Library; Rehm Library in the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture; the visual resources library, and the Worcester Art Museum Library.