Welcome to the new Head of Collections and Acquisitions, James Smith!
James (pronouns he/him) comes with many years of experience in cataloging, e-resources, collections, and acquisitions. He comes with solid knowledge of current trends in collection development. He also has experience in open access, and purchasing as well as hands-on experience and expertise with fiscal rollover and renewals. In his previous job at K-State’s Hale Library, James worked in a broad variety of roles, and supported his team and colleagues through the major shutdowns and disruption associated with both the Hale Library fire in 2018 and the COVID-19 pandemic. His expertise with workflow analysis and documentation will be a great addition to our libraries as we complete our transition into FOLIO.
James holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from Kansas State University and a Master of Library Sciences from Emporia State University. He worked for a time at Fort Riley with the U.S. Cavalry Association in their library. On working in libraries “I’m happy to be here at Miller Nichols Library and excited to get started. What I enjoy most about working in libraries is that the work is always a bit different each day. You also never know what you come across either. I’ve had the privilege of working with limited editions collections, a vast number of cookbooks, and just helping colleagues every day. I also really enjoy the people that work in libraries. We all share a common goal and understand that we can provide expertise where we can to make life easier for each other.”
As the Head of Collections and Acquisitions, James will be responsible for oversight of the development, maintenance, and evaluation of the libraries’ physical and online collections. James holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from Kansas State University and a Master of Library Sciences from Emporia State University. We look forward to welcoming James to our UMKC Libraries Team and working together as we move forward in our strategies with Collection Development and Acquisitions. His began at the UMKC Library on November 15.
We look forward to working with you, James!
