Walker became the Dean of libraries at UND this August. Photo by Nick Nelson/ The Dakota Student

Coming from the big-city atmosphere to Grand Forks can be a daunting task, but Stephanie Walker, UND’s new Dean of Libraries welcomes the challenge.

Walker took the position in August after she had been working as the Chief Librarian and Executive Director of Academic Information Technologies at New York’s Brooklyn College.

There, she managed a library as well as a “satellite café,” which gave 24/7 internet access to students and faculty. She has also worked at reputable libraries including Harvard Medical School’s Countway Library as well as the University of Toronto.

“I’d worked in libraries for a long time, and I could see it was a perfect fit,” Walker said, “I got to work with technology, and I got to teach, both of which I enjoyed.”

Starting her undergraduate career as a math and computer science major at the University of Waterloo, she realized she missed the humanities side of education and switched to English. She now holds a BA and MA in English from Waterloo as well as a master of library science degree from the University of Toronto.

After working with many different libraries and schools around the U.S. and Canada, UND seemed like a good fit because she saw a clear desire from the school to upgrade the Chester Fritz Library. Having done renovations in previous jobs including assisting architects with building a library, tutoring center, computer services lab and art gallery all from scratch, she was excited about the opportunities available here.

“Basically, it came down to the fact that I see huge opportunities here,” stated Walker, “and a lot of support for trying to modernize and improve library and other information services to students, faculty, and the community.”

Recognizing what an impact education and libraries have had on her life, she wants to educate students on the benefits of both. Walker said there has been significant research that proves that students who attend the library frequently are better students because they learn how to research. She also stated UND has wonderful staff that she enjoys working with.

In her time at UND, Walker hope to update and upgrade the UND libraries so that up-and-coming services, resources and space can be provided to students and faculty. A few things specifically she’d like to focus on are the renovations of the Chester Fritz, to add more collaborative group space, and revamp the furnishings and data, as well as to work on staffing, by making sure they are supporting work in Digital Humanities, and Research Data Management.

“Essentially, I want to make the Chester Fritz Library a really strong “academic heart of the University,” she said, “where everything is used – space, services, and collections.”

Walker has enjoyed her time at UND thus far, and is excited to see what opportunities come her way in the near future. With her big ideas and high hopes for not only the Chester Fritz but all libraries on campus, positive changes can be expected.

Hannah Amundson is a features writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected]