Melanie McGurr

Staff Image

Rank: Associate Professor of Bibliography
Title: Associate Dean, Head, University Libraries Technical Services and University Libraries Faculty
Department: University Libraries Dean's Office
Office: Bierce 262
Phone: 330-972-5390
Email: mmcgurr1@uakron.edu



Areas of Responsibility:

  • Directs the work of 5 faculty librarians and 8 support staff who have the responsibility for library acquisitions, bibliographic services, management of electronic resources, maintenance of library systems and website, and installation and support of public and staff computing equipment.
  • Ensures that the organization, management, and skill levels of Electronic Services personnel evolve to meet new challenges, including innovative description and subject analysis, support of rapidly expanding digital collections, development of robust user interfaces, and contributions to consortia.
  • Collaboratively formulates access and user-interface models for the functional areas of cataloging, systems, electronic resource management, and user interfaces.
  • Inspires service innovation and the creative use of technology in technical processing operations and initiatives that enhance access to content.
  • Serves as an advocate and as a resource person for innovative tools and technologies that enhance access for users.


Biography:

 Melanie McGurr is Head of Electronic Services at the University of Akron. She previously worked as both Interim Chief Medical Librarian and Assistant Director of Content Strategies at the Northeast Ohio Medical University, Coordinator of Authority Control and Database Maintenance at the Ohio State University, and Coordinator of Technical Services at Urbana University. She served on committee and interest groups for ALCTS, as a planning committee member for ALAO, and on a number of university and library committees throughout her career. Melanie taught college level English for eight years before becoming a librarian and received both her M.L.I.S. and Ph.D. in English Literature from Kent State University.  


Faculty Website: https://works.bepress.com/melanie-mcgurr/


Published Works:

McGurr CV 2023.pdf
2023

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Management Practice Changes in Academic Library Technical Services Departments during the COVID-29 Pandemic
2023

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about many unexpected changes for academic libraries.
Technical services departments were especially disrupted due to the nature of their responsibilities
and library operations. In response to these pandemic-induced changes, technical
services... Read more »

Manager Perspectives on the Prevalence, Impact, and Management of Work-Related Burnout in Academic Library Technical Services
2022

Work-related burnout has been studied for decades across multiple industries,
including librarianship. However, few studies have evaluated burnout in technical
services workers. This study surveys academic library technical services
managers to learn their perspective... Read more »

Outsourcing Technical Services in a Health Sciences Library
2020

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Writing centers, libraries, and medical and pharmacy schools
2020

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Even You Can Afford Affordable Learning!: Grace Under the Pressure of Open Educational Resources

Presentation on adding Open Educational Resources to the University of Akron catalog in support of the affordable learning initiative.
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Challenges and Opportunities: One Academic Library, Seven Hospitals and a ConsortialMove
2017

This presentation explores a three-phase project that involved switching from a shared server hosted in a state consortia to a hosted service ... Read more »

Public and Academic Library Cataloging Collaboration in Ohio's NACO Funnel Project
2013

Catalogers at The Ohio State University (OSU) Libraries, Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML), and Cleveland Public Library (CPL) are collaborating through the Ohio Name Authority Cooperative (NACO) funnel to create personal name authority records that directly benefit library patrons. Although OSU provides training and review, all three libraries receive value from the... Read more »

Remote Locations for Technical Services: An Exploratory Survey
2011

The emerging trend of remote or separate locations for technical service units is explored by the author in this article. The goal of the author is to begin a discussion on the topic and to collect suggestions and tips for technical services units facing a transition... Read more »

Improving the Practicum or Internship Experience in Cataloging
2010

The perceived importance of hands-on work in cataloging education led the authors to survey people who completed a cataloging practicum or internship, as well as supervisors of cataloging practicum students or interns, to assess the successes and possible failures ... Read more »


Courses Teaching This Semester:

Honors Colloquia Humanities 002 “A Cultural History of the British Country House.”