Welcome New Directors

In recent months, three TCLC member libraries have welcomed new people into their directorship roles. While some are familiar faces in a different position, as director each brings a new perspective with their unique experience, knowledge, and ideas. Please join me in welcoming them as we look forward to the start of a new academic year and new opportunities for partnership and collaboration.

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JINGFENG XIA, Gwynedd Mercy University

Jingfeng Xia is the new Director of Keiss Library at Gwynedd Mercy University. For the four years prior, he held the position of Dean of Library at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania and briefly served as a library director at Alvernia University. He received his Master’s degree in Library Science at the University of Arizona. Having once held a tenured professorship in Library and Information Science at Indiana University, he transitioned his career into library administration.

In his new position at Gwynedd Mercy, his goal is to bring Keiss Library into a new stage of service by initiating diverse types of projects and, at the same time, continue the traditional library operations to support learning of the students and teaching of the faculty. He enjoys working together with colleagues in other academic libraries on projects that can facilitate and expand inter-institutional collaborations.

Beyond his education and experience as a librarian, Jingfeng is also trained in anthropology having received his PhD from the University of Arizona and has archaeological fieldwork experience in many locations, mostly in the Southwest.

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PJ GRIER, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

PJ Grier stepped into the Interim Chief Library Services role at PCOM when Stephanie Ferretti retired this spring. Having received his MSLIS from Drexel University, PJ has worked in a variety of positions within the medical and health information field, including Faculty Librarian and Outreach and Access Coordinator at the University of Maryland Baltimore / National Network Libraries of Medicine as well as the Director of Library and Information Services at the Delaware Academy of Medicine. He joined PCOM in 2015 serving as the Associate Director of Operations and Assessment until this May. As Interim Chief, PJ will be in a position of steering the ship until someone permanent is hired.

PJ is active in the Medical Library Association (MLA) and is currently Chair-elect to the MLA Chapter Council. Advocacy, policy planning, and collaboration are important aspects of PJ’s professional work; however, in his personal time, he enjoys traveling and riding motorcycles. Sometimes, he combines the two.

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BRICE PETERSON, Rosemont College

This July, Rosemont College named Brice Peterson the new Executive Director for the Library and Learning Commons. He began at Rosemont as a Reference Librarian in Fall 2019 after completing his MFA in Visual Arts at Cornell University, where he worked in visual resources at the Cornell University Library. Previously, Brice earned his MLIS from Drexel University.

Brice enjoyed returning to reference and instruction work at a small institution like Rosemont where close connections are possible with students and faculty. In Fall 2020, his responsibilities grew to encompass Systems Librarian as the library responded to the needs of students returning to in-person instruction and expanded their online capabilities to better serve remote learning. Through the tumult of transition precipitated by both the pandemic and college leadership changes, Cathy Fennell’s guidance was invaluable. Her mentorship showed Brice that Rosemont was a home to him. When she announced her retirement this spring, he threw his hat into the ring as a candidate for her successor.

The rest of 2021 will be busy for Brice and the small library staff as they support new programs and changes, many already in progress, including: the full launch of WorldCat Discovery; expanded embedded librarianship and interactive tutorials in online course shells on Canvas; further shepherding the collections through a new deselection program and making special collections more visible and accessible; and the hiring of a librarian in a new full-time role focused on information literacy and outreach. The work to orient their strategic goals around accessibility, engagement, and assessment is substantial, but Brice believes it is also exciting and—most importantly—rewarding!

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Tags: Community News Gwynedd Mercy University Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Rosemont College