Victoria appoints new University Librarian

Victoria University has appointed a senior member of staff at one of Australia’s leading universities as its University Librarian.

Janet Fletcher, who is currently Director Information Services at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, will take up her new position at Victoria in early December.

Prior to taking on her current role in 2009, Ms Fletcher was Director Information Resources at UNSW, which is a member of the ‘Group of Eight’ that comprises Australia’s leading research universities, all of which are ranked in the top 200 institutions worldwide.

“We are delighted to have someone of Ms Fletcher’s calibre joining Victoria,” says Victoria’s Interim Provost Professor Barrie Macdonald.

“She brings strong experience and understanding of the strategic and operational challenges facing academic libraries and has a track record of providing innovative library services and excellent customer service.

“In addition, her deep knowledge about strengthening the level and breadth of research support will be a major asset to Victoria as the University continues to focus on maintaining its position as New Zealand’s most research-intensive university.

“Her understanding of how libraries can best support learning and teaching, and an outstanding student experience, will also be invaluable.”

Ms Fletcher has a Master of Science (Information) from Edith Cowan University, Perth, and a Bachelor of Education (Secondary), majoring in English and Teacher Librarianship, from the University of Melbourne.

Prior to her executive roles at UNSW, Ms Fletcher was in senior management positions at Macquarie and Southern Cross universities in Australia. Her experience includes working at institutions with multi-campuses where support for research is a high priority.

The new role at Victoria will be the first she has held in New Zealand

“I am greatly looking forward to being part of the team that will take Victoria University forward and, in particular, helping with the work to optimise Victoria’s capital city location and its role as a global-civic university.”