As of this summer, Cinthya Ippoliti will step in as the new dean of the library. 

CSUSM has been without an official library dean for almost a year now. Char Booth and Toni Olivas have stepped in as interim co-deans since the fall semester and will continue until the summer. The previous library dean, Jennifer Fabbi, stepped down from her role to become one of CSUSM’s special collections librarians. 

Interim co-dean Char Booth and user experience librarian April Ibarra Siqueiros sat down with the Chronicle to discuss what a new library dean means and what they hope for. 

Booth said the library dean’s role is to advocate for the library and make sure the library is at the table for important conversations.

Booth had the opportunity to chat with each candidate for the library dean one-on-one, however, they did not take part in the decision-making since they were interim co-dean.

With the new dean coming in, the interim co-deans have to be shifted. 

Booth joked, “They drop us in the Miramar landfill,” but in reality, interim co-deans Char Booth and Toni Olivas will stop acting as deans and return to their original jobs as associate dean and head of user services respectively. 

Booth said they’re happy to go back to their job as associate dean: “I like it a lot!”

The role of associate dean focuses on the internal functioning of the library, a bit like the nervous system. Booth listed many areas of focus such as building renovations and making connections with other organizations on campus. 

Olivas will return to her role as the head of user services. She will continue to oversee the team of people that run the circulation desk, the Makery, library reserves, and all other work that engages with the public at the library.

With major changes happening nationwide, Booth said staff at the library now will always prioritize making the library an inclusive space for all. 

“We are preparing to respond effectively to the changes that are occurring in our environment,” Booth said. 

April Ibarra Siqueiros, a user experience librarian, and lead of the Student Advisory Board shares her thoughts and hopes about the new library dean. 

“It’s almost been a whole year between everything,” Siqueiros exclaimed. The search committee for the new dean set out in the summer of 2024. 

Siqueiros said that even without a dean, the library was still a well-oiled machine. “Work was divided well,” Siqueiros said, “Toni and Char kept their roles pretty much.” 

Siqueiros is the first dedicated full-time user experience librarian and has been in her role for about two and a half years now. Her role will need more support because user experience work affects all who use the library. 

She hopes the incoming dean will be able to support how the library is growing and how the user experience side will grow as well, especially as the library works on redesigning its website and plans new projects and programs. 

Siqueiros also said many staff and faculty are interested in creating an onboarding process for the library dean.

“We want the new dean to learn about what we’ve been doing [so we can] frame the next steps,” Siqueiros said. 

Siqueiros is one of many BIPOC representatives tasked to ask what they need from the dean. They want to know how the demographic at CSUSM will be supported. 

She also hopes the new dean will support the Student Advisory Board.  “With growing comes more need for support,” Siqueiros said. 

Siqueiros, like many other librarians at CSUSM, is curious and enthusiastic about the future of the Kellogg Library.

More information on how the new library dean was selected is coming soon. 

For disclosure, I am on the Library Student Advisory Board.