Dr. Oliver Brandt

Oliver Brandt has been University Librarian since 2012. He leads Whitcombe Library and its staff of subject librarians, archivists, and technology specialists, who support research and teaching in all five schools. The library is also home to University Archives and Special Collections, the Writing Center, the Makerspace, the Center for Teaching & Learning, and the IT Service Desk.

Under Brandt, the library has moved much of its spending from print journals to digital collections and has lengthened its hours at the end of the semester. This year it will be open around the clock from Reading Day through the last day of fall finals. "Finals week is when students need a quiet, warm, well-lit place the most," he says. "We'd rather they be here than in a stairwell." He serves ex officio on the Faculty Senate's Library & Information Technology Committee and on the AI Advisory Council.

Brandt came to Alkimi from Wendover University, where he was associate university librarian for collections, and he began his career as a rare books cataloger. A historian of the book, he holds a PhD in history from Corwin University and a master's degree in library science from Vantry State University. He keeps a small letterpress in his garage and prints the library's holiday cards by hand.

See also: Whitcombe Library