Richard Fyffe, Samuel R. and Marie-Louise Rosenthal Librarian of the College

On Oct. 1, Richard Fyffe, Samuel R. and Marie-Louise Rosenthal Librarian of the College and associate professor, began a permanent medical leave. Richard was recently diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).
Julia Bauder, associate librarian and associate professor, is serving as Interim Librarian. A national search for a new Librarian of the College will be conducted in the coming months.
Since 2006, Richard has served Grinnell with great distinction, while working to raise the profile of college libraries nationally.
At Grinnell, Richard worked to develop the library's collections, promote initiatives in information literacy and research skills, strengthen our partnerships and consortia memberships, and advance technology in service of teaching, learning, and research. He served on many campus committees and task force groups that supported faculty, staff, and students, most recently as Science Division representative to the Executive Council.
An award-winning librarian, Richard placed a high priority on innovative services to benefit the Grinnell community. He oversaw the launch of Digital Grinnell, opened the archives of “Scarlet & Black,” and built closer, stronger connections between the libraries and academic departments.
Richard worked collaboratively with faculty to develop intellectual property policies and pass an open-access resolution. His innovations helped reinvent the College's libraries through the creation of a peer-mentoring program for research literacy and by rethinking collections philosophy. Richard was also instrumental in the opening of Kistle Science Library and the renovation of Burling Library, including media collection improvements, installation of a computing commons, expansion of the Burling Lounge, and upgrades that make the libraries more welcoming.
Under his leadership, the College received an Excellence in Academic Libraries Award from the Association of College and Research Libraries and American Library Association in 2011.
Richard was also active nationally. He has had leadership roles in the Iowa Private Academic Library consortium and the Oberlin Group consortium, served as co-chair of the American Library Association Scholarly Communications Committee, was an editorial board member of the peer-reviewed journal College & Research Libraries, and was twice elected as chair of the Board of Directors for the Center for Research Libraries in Chicago.
Please join the Grinnell College Libraries in recognizing Richard for his many contributions, thanking him for his distinguished service to the Grinnell community, and wishing him all the best.