Fine Arts Librarian Ann Skiold to serve at Syracuse University in Florence

Pamela McLaughlin
(315) 443-9788

Syracuse University Library‘s art librarian, Ann Skiold, will join the library staff of Syracuse University in Florence (SUF) from August 2008 through June 2009. The Florence Library and Media Lab maintain a multi-disciplinary, multi-format collection that supports teaching and research in the range of disciplines taught at SUF, including architecture, art history, studio arts, Italian and social sciences.

Skiold will work closely with SUF Library Coordinator Cathleen Compton to develop library programs and enable SUF faculty and students to make effective use of library resources. She will also serve as a consultant to SUF Director Barbara Deimling, SU Abroad and the SU Library. In this role, Skiold will gather user input on desired changes to the SUF Library’s overall program, assess library collections and services, and recommend strategies for strengthening the library and for integrating it more fully into SUF programs. Another important facet of Skiold’s work will be to investigate and recommend options for shared collections and services between the SUF and home campus libraries. She will also assist Compton in developing collaborative relationships between the SUF library and other libraries in Florence.

Support for Skiold’s appointment has been enthusiastic and broad-based, made possible by contributions from the vice chancellor and provost, the vice president for enrollment management and The College of Arts and Sciences, in addition to SU Abroad and the SU Library.

“With her international background and expertise in both the arts and librarianship, Ann is ideally suited for this position,” says SU Abroad Executive Director Jon Booth. “With her help, we will rethink what the Florence Center library should be and affirm or adjust the program accordingly.”

Skiold, who holds dual citizenship in the United States and Sweden, came to the SU Library from Westmont College in Santa Barbara in 2005. She is a senior assistant librarian in the Arts and Humanities Services Department and is responsible for research assistance, instruction and collection development in a number of subject areas, including art history, photography, film, applied and decorative arts, English, linguistics, and communication and rhetorical studies.