University Librarian outlines next priorities in interview with Yale Daily News

In a recent interview with “Yale Daily News,” Barbara Rockenbach, Stephen F. Gates ’68 University Librarian, shared a few details of her five-year plan for Yale Library.

Rockenbach discussed with student reporter Claire Nam her commitment to continuing the library’s hundreds-of-years-old tradition of building its collection of print books and special collections. As she looks forward to her next five years of leadership, Rockenbach told YDN, she is also planning to lean into new and emerging 21st-century technologies: data science, computation methods, and artificial intelligence tools—which she describes as “new forms of literacy.”

While acknowledging the inherent challenges, Rockenbach remains fully committed to continuing efforts to digitize the library’s vast collections of resources to make them accessible to users locally, nationally, and internationally—one of her highest priorities since her appointment as University Librarian in 2000.

Yale President Maurie McInnis and Provost Scott Strobel announced Rockenbach’s appointment to a second five-year term earlier this month. Read the Yale News story. 

Read or listen to Claire Nam’s full article in “Yale Daily News.”

Learn more about Yale Library AI Initiatives.

—Deborah Cannarella

Photo by Harold Shapiro