And, now, Library Journal, a national trade publication, has honored Vice Provost and Director of Libraries Susan K. Nutter as the 2005 Librarian of the Year for her work in raising the stature of the NCSU Libraries. It’s an award that Nutter credits to a campus community that shares her passion and understanding of the important role of the NCSU Libraries.

“That generous gift, made with enthusiasm by the entire university faculty, was the catalyst that allowed the transformation of our library… [Nutter] provided the vision and made it possible for literally thousands of faculty to show their greatness and to be heroes,” said College of Veterinary Medicine professor Michael K. Stoskopf in Library Journal.

Shortly after Nutter came to NC State from M.I.T., the NCSU Libraries ranked 101 st compared to its peers in the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). Within a little over a decade, she has led the Libraries’ climb to 32nd place in North America, an unprecedented accomplishment in ARL history. With 3.2 million volumes, NCSU does not rank high among research libraries in terms of sheer size, but the strengths of its collections in the specific disciplines of the university, the caliber of the library staff, and the quality and innovation of the services they offer have led to national recognition.

The NCSU Libraries was one of the first to remain open 24/7 during the academic year; was a pioneer in creating a Learning Technology Service to assist faculty in developing online courses; and was the very first in the nation to hire an intellectual property attorney to help both librarians and faculty interpret how copyright law protects or limits their access to information. The Scholarly Communication Center forms part of the Learning and Research Center for the Digital Age, together with a state-of-the-art Digital Media Lab, Usability Research Lab, and Digital Library Initiatives Department.

NCSU librarians also have been recognized nationally for their cutting-edge work, earning accolades in 2004 and 2003 for Web-based resources and tutorials. In 2000, the NCSU Libraries won the first-ever “Excellence in Academic Libraries Award” in the university library category. The award, sponsored by the Association of College and Research Libraries, recognizes staff who work together as a team to develop academic libraries that are outstanding in furthering the educational missions of their institutions.