Retired University of Wyoming Assistant Dean Appointed as Catalog and Database Maintenance Librarian
Deborah McCarthy, MLS, MBA, recently retired Assistant Dean of Resource Discovery and Management for the University Libraries at the University of Wyoming, has been appointed as Catalog and Database Maintenance Librarian for the Baylor University Libraries.
McCarthy is originally from Jackson, New Jersey, and graduated from Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, with a degree in Economics in 1983. After three years in the U.S. Army Finance Corps and a year in banking, she attended Texas Woman's University and completed her MLS in 1989 while serving in the Acquisitions Department of the Blagg-Huey Library. She worked in technical services roles in academic libraries at the University of Texas at El Paso, Xavier University, St. Olaf College, and New Mexico State University, where she earned an MBA in 2003.
In 2004, she was appointed Assistant Librarian and Head of Technical Services at the University of Wyoming Libraries. McCarthy served as interim associate dean for the UW Libraries on several occasions before being named Assistant Dean of Resource Discovery and Management in 2018. She took early retirement in September 2023 to move to El Paso, Texas, to assist with her mother's care.
Throughout her career, McCarthy has grown along with the development of digital library cataloging resources. She has been part of the three library information system implementations. One month ahead of her retirement she and her team completed the implementation of ExLibris' Alma library management system and Primo discovery solution at the University of Wyoming. She also established transformative agreements at UW to encourage faculty publication in open access journals.
She has remained active in regional and national library and cataloging associations. She served as the President of the Wyoming Library Association in 2012, on the OCLC Global Council and Americas Regional Council from 2018 to 2021, and recently was a member of the Constitution and Bylaws Revision Committee for the WLA. In 2007 she completed the Wyoming Library Association Leadership Institute and in 2017 received a certificate in XML and RDF-based systems from the Library Juice Academy.
"As my mother's care stabilized and I decided to re-engage in librarianship, I was excited when I saw this opportunity at the Baylor Libraries," said McCarthy. "I am looking forward to returning to work with a focus on cataloging, which has always been my favorite part of librarianship."
McCarthy will join the Baylor Libraries on July 1, 2024.
"We couldn't be happier to have Deborah McCarthy joining the Baylor Libraries," said Jeffry Archer, Dean of University Libraries, Museums, and the Press. "Her comprehensive understanding of academic libraries and technical service expertise will enhance an already strong team in our cataloging and metadata services area."