Three Retirements, Six Big Shoes to Fill
June 21, 2023
This summer brings with it the retirements of two extremely important librarians and an invaluable archivist in the Oberlin College Libraries system. Megan Mitchell, Alison Ricker, and Anne Salsich are beginning new chapters in life.
From left to right: Alison Ricker, Anne Salsich, and Megan Mitchell
In mid-July, we will say farewell to Megan Mitchell, Librarian for Academic Engagement and Digital Initiatives. The consummate librarian, Megan has led the core reference group as they reach out to each class of students, offering instruction and training in research skills and information literacy. She has also been a leader in our digital initiatives and emerging technologies. Indeed, there are very few digital scholarship projects on campus that Megan has not had a hand in, and her work on Open Access and Open Educational Resources has moved Oberlin forward in the area of scholarly communication as well. Megan will continue to serve as digital strategist for the Ohio5 group, however, and we hope to see her in the libraries from time to time.
Later in July, Associate Archivist Anne Salsich will retire, and we will lose an outstanding colleague who has made so many of our important archival collections accessible. In addition, Anne has trained many a budding archivist in our internship and student assistant programs. Her work in the areas of digital exhibitions and digital preservation has provided both access and permanence to a world-class archival collection, furthering scholarship in such areas as college history, social justice and civil rights movements, women’s suffrage, and environmental studies. Active in the profession, Anne has worked with state, regional, and national archival groups and recently served on the editorial board of Archival Issues.
And at the end of August, our beloved Science Librarian Alison Ricker retires after 40 years at Oberlin. Alison has led the Science Library with skill and enthusiasm, teaching research skills to generations of scientists and playing a pivotal role in the research lifecycle for both students and faculty in STEM fields. She has also been very active in the profession. For example, she is a founder of the Science Librarians Group which has representatives from over 80 of the best liberal arts colleges in America and has been active in the American College and Research Libraries, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Chemical Society, among many other activities. We will miss the professionalism and knowledge of this valued colleague.