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they report to different bosses — the library to the provost’s office and IT to the vice president of finance — but “structurally,” said Merritt, “our working relationship with the library has not changed.”
In fact, Wrenn and Merritt have offices right next door to each other, which makes for “con- stant communication,” he noted. “It’s very informal.”
“We have daily meetings in the hall passing,” added Wrenn.
She said she likes the way the IT team jumps to help the library’s technology needs. “If we have a problem, they’re right here to fix it — after I put in a work order, of course.” And for his part, he said he likes how the library sup- ported the hiring of an instructional technolo- gist. “Her primary focus is assisting faculty with technology needs in the classroom. And she’s doing that headquartered in the library.”
Finding Commonalities
Forrest has seen a library merger up close. She was part of Hamilton College (NY) in 2013 when that institution brought the two organiza- tions together to form Library and Information Technology Services (LITS). During that time, Forrest gained a “great appreciation for our col- leagues in IT.”
As she recalled, “Everyone just thought the IT folks just fix computers all day and librarians only help people find books. Nobody really knew all the intersections. Nobody really understood, oh, we actually have a lot in com- mon — especially around teaching and learning.”
When the education technology director retired at Hamilton, Forrest sat down with then-CIO Dave Smallen and proposed that she lead both teams. He was, she noted, “waiting”
Lisa Forrest
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