October 11, 2023

On behalf of UW Libraries, a warm welcome to all new and returning students, faculty and staff. This marks my third academic year with UW, and I am excited about the progress of libraries’ services and support over the past few years, including all of the programs and initiatives our teams are working on in the coming year.

As we kick off this year, I want to thank and acknowledge all of our teams who play an integral role in helping to prepare all new students -- undergrads, first-gen students, transfer students and grad students--for their UW journey. Over the course of the past year, UW Libraries has  worked with over 20,000 participants in 2,500 research consultations, instruction sessions, workshops, tours and orientations.  Programs like the Graduate Student Research Institute, UW Libraries Undergraduate Research Tutorial, Storytelling Fellows programs and Open Access Week events are just a few examples of the many ways UW Libraries teams support teaching, learning and research in new and inventive ways across campuses and across disciplines.

Strategic Plan

One of the most meaningful aspects of our work this past year has been the completion of a Strategic Plan refresh, with consultation from University stakeholders and Libraries staff. The updated plan will continue to guide our work across all Libraries and campuses over the next three years, driven by our shared strategic goals.

When on the Seattle campus, I encourage you to visit the Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin Tateuchi East Asia Library which has fully reopened after a significant renovation, creating a more user-friendly space to facilitate diverse study needs, research support and utilization of our unique east asia collections. The new Open Scholarship Commons space on the ground floor of Suzzallo, offers new technology-rich spaces designed for collaboration and in-person support for a wide range of open and digital forms of scholarship. UW Libraries Special Collections newest exhibits are open to the public--Magick and Mystery and Breaking Bread-- showcasing the breadth and depth of UW Libraries most rare and unique collections.

UW Tacoma Libraries continues a strong tradition of social justice and is supporting the Tacoma Campus’ focus on community-building partnerships in the coming year with a number of new author events and book clubs including with author Curtis Chin and the AAPI Thrive project; the Tacoma Reads author event featuring author David Ambroz in Conversation with Mayor Victoria Woodards; the award-winning Real Lit book club featuring its nineteenth selection The Shadow Sister; launch of the Any Book Book Club during Husky Hour and displaying the Still Doing Life Exhibit in partnership with associate professor of criminal justice Barb Toews and the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences.

The UW Bothell/Cascadia College Library is pleased to announce ​a call for applications for the  Digital Scholarship Faculty Fellows grant to support UW Bothell faculty in developing a digital scholarship project over the course of the 2023-2024 academic year, sponsored by the Library’s Head of Digital Scholarship and Library staff. Also, UW Bothell/Cascadia College Library’s Community Reads , now in its 9th year, kicks off the 2023/2024 program centered around the book, Afterglow: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors, providing students with opportunity to examine different stories and themes through community-led discussions.

Looking Ahead

Our collective work to expand partnerships, outreach and community-building is evident across all UW Libraries. Together, we are learning and responding to the ever-changing needs of our users, and I look forward to sharing the continued progress of the Libraries throughout the year.

Sincerely,

Simon Neame

Dean, University Libraries