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2024

October

Elsa Álvaro portrait

Elsa Álvaro appointed AUL for Collections and Access

October 1, 2024
Dean of Libraries Xuemao Wang has appointed Elsa Álvaro as the Associate University Librarian (AUL) for Collections and Access for the Northwestern University Libraries, effective October 1, 2024.  As the AUL for Collections & Access, Álvaro will articulate organization-wide strategies and implement solutions for the development of and access to all library collections.  This role also will lead librarians and staff across all operational areas of the organization to achieve strategic collections objectives. She will define and advance strategies to fulfill the information resource needs of the Northwestern community and pursue innovation, efficiency and cross-institutional collaboration in discovery and delivery of scholarly materials. She will take an active role in developing and maximizing cooperative relationships in the context of the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) and other consortia, as well as building partnerships with faculty across campus.

September

Decorative map image

Grant supports Northwestern Libraries launch of generative AI-based chat search

September 4, 2024
A National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services supports trailblazing work using generative AI to implement a chat search of the Northwestern Digital Collections, as well as to augment human-mediated metadata creation. The two-year grant also supports the creation of toolkits that will help other libraries and cultural institutions experiment and integrate this transformative technology into their discovery platforms.

August

Portrait of Matt Richardson

Matthew Richardson appointed University Archivist

August 22, 2024
Richardson’s appointment is a homecoming, as he graduated from the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences with majors in History and English, completed his M.A. in Liberal Studies through the School of Continuing (Professional) Studies, and began his early library career in the Preservation Department at Northwestern Libraries. 

April

An external shot of Deering Library with foliage climbing the walls.

Deering Library to be renovated beginning June 2024

April 11, 2024
Deering Library, which has enchanted students, scholars, and visitors for more than 90 years, is slated for a major renovation that will markedly improve the facility while preserving its history. After years of planning, the renovation will begin in June, following commencement. The work will include the renovation of select prominent public spaces and upgrades to attendant infrastructure. There will be no public access to Deering Library during construction, which is expected to conclude in September 2025.

March

February

A group standing in front of mounted paintings. One of the group is gesturing at the painting and speaking.

The Block Museum and NU Libraries partner to improve research access to Northwestern’s art collection

February 26, 2024
Northwestern students and faculty now have one more research tool available at their fingertips. The Block Museum of Art and Northwestern University Libraries are pleased to announce the completion of a strategic project to integrate the museum’s collection records into the Libraries’ search database. The Block Museum of Art’s collection of over 6,000 artworks is now searchable through Northwestern Libraries’ online catalog via NUSearch.
Logo for the ACM

Transformative agreement with Association for Computing Machinery increases support for open access publishing

February 21, 2024
Northwestern Libraries are pleased to announce that Northwestern has entered another major transformative open access agreement with Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), effective January 1, 2024. The agreement covers a three-year term, until 2027. Under the terms of the agreement, Northwestern readers can access all ACM publications including journals, magazines, books, conference proceedings, and special interest group newsletters, and Northwestern corresponding authors will have their works published with open access licenses at no cost to the author.