Director's Update

Hello, my name is Elaine Logan. It is my privilege to serve as director of the Mardigian Library. I returned to the University of Michigan-Dearborn in early October after an absence of twenty years. UM-Dearborn is the same vibrant, welcoming community that I fondly remembered. I am enjoying getting to know library staff, campus leaders, faculty, and students – and hearing their ideas about the library. Continuing the tradition of retired director, Tim Richards, this is my first installment of Director’s Update. I plan to use my updates to share my perspective and thoughts three or four times a year on library issues. I also hope that you will communicate your thoughts, questions, ideas, and suggestions to me in response to these updates.

It is no secret that technology is changing the way we all find, use, and create knowledge and information. One of the library’s key functions is to help you be successful in locating the information you need. We do this by providing discovery tools like Summon and by providing resources to make your searching successful. The library cannot own every resource in the world, but our participation in the “One University” initiative, with the Ann Arbor and Flint campus libraries, has vastly increased the depth and breadth of information resources immediately available to everyone on this campus. Did you know that through “One University” we’ve been able to increase access to over 240 online databases, over 20,000 electronic journals, and over 100,000 e-books to supplement the print materials in the Mardigian Library collections?

Of equal importance to supplying a wealth of information resources is our work with students to teach them how to critically evaluate and ethically use information. In the past, finding information was hard. Now with improved discovery tools, the finding is easy. What is hard is knowing how to filter and evaluate content so that its reliability and trustworthiness can be determined. We take great pride in our instructional role in the classroom, in small groups, and one-on-one sessions.

Academic libraries are changing in fundamental ways, but our underlying goals remain the same. We strive to provide the necessary tools, services, collections, expertise, and learning environments to ensure that your experience in the Mardigian Library is productive and academically enriching. We use our expertise and resources to inform, connect, and transform the lives of the people in our community. It is an exciting time to be at the Mardigian Library. I am proud to be leading the effort of continuing to maintain the library’s vital presence and purpose within the University of Michigan-Dearborn. In the next few months, we will be providing the entire campus community with a variety of opportunities to let us know your aspirations for our future.

Elaine Logan

Director, Mardigian Library