Now that we are all immersed in the hectic daily routines of the academic year, I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself as the Interim Head of the Burke Library. It is my pleasure to work with the wonderful Burke staff, UTS faculty, and students this year, and I look forward to meeting many of you in the next few months.

I come to the Burke from just across Broadway (and a few blocks south), where I have been the Western European Humanities Librarian at Columbia’s Butler Library since 2014. I consider myself a true humanist and am delighted to be surrounded by such brilliant archival collections and incunables here at the Burke. I have a B.A. in English Literature (with a minor in Medieval and Renaissance Studies) from NYU, an MS in Library and Information Science from LIU, and an MA in Italian Studies, also from NYU. In my regular role as a subject librarian at Columbia, I collect materials (print and digital) and offer research support for students, faculty and scholars in French and Italian language and literature, Comparative Literature, European history from the Renaissance to the present, and the history of science, technology and medicine.

I am thrilled to be here and eager to learn what makes the Burke special to each of you and what you think we might do better. Feel free to stop by my office on L3, call me (212.851.5611), or email me (mjl2209@columbia.edu) with any questions, suggestions, or if you just want to say hello!

I wish you all a productive year and thank you for welcoming me into the warm UTS community!

Meredith