The University of Nevada, Las Vegas has hired Kenneth Marks, director of academic library services at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., as UNLV's new dean of libraries, President Carol C. Harter announced Wednesday.
"Dr. Marks brings more than 25 years of experience to the UNLV deanship just as we are about to break ground for the university's new $53.2 million, state-of-the-art research library," Harter said. "We very much look forward to his arrival in October."
Marks has served since 1990 as director of academic library services at East Carolina University, where he directed library faculty and staff participation in the program planning, construction, and occupation of a 160,000-square-foot library addition and the renovation of the library's existing 160,000-square-foot facility.
"Dr. Marks' work in facility planning, in the computerization of library services, and in the logistics of moving a library from an existing physical plant to a much larger one will be a great asset as we build and ultimately occupy our new Lied Library," Provost Douglas Ferraro said. "I'm confident he will provide the leadership that will enable UNLV to launch a first-class research library for students, faculty, and the community."
In previous positions Marks served as university librarian and executive director of the Merrill Library and the learning resources program at Utah State University, Logan (1984-90); associate director for public service at University Library, University of Tennessee, Knoxville (1978-84); and head of the reference department (1974-78) and reference librarian (1971-74) at the University of Tennessee.
"I was attracted by the opportunity to be involved with the construction of UNLV's new library," Marks said, noting that the quality of the existing library's faculty and staff, along with the plans for the new facility, made his decision to join the university's administrative team an easy one.
Marks, who has published extensively in library journals, has written two books, "Local Area Networks in Libraries," and "Using Windows for Library Administration."
He received the Ph.D. in educational administration from Iowa State University in 1978; the master of science in library science degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1971; and the bachelor of science in history and political science from Iowa State University in 1960.
Dr. Marks will assume his new duties Oct. 1. Construction on the new library will begin this fall; the building will be open by 2000.
