UH Manoa Names New University Librarian

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

HONOLULU — The University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa has named Diane Perushek as University Librarian. Perushek will be responsible for directing operational activities of the University Library, which includes planning, organizing, and directing library programs and services, as well as liaison duties with University departments, other libraries, campus organizations, and external groups and agencies.

Perushek comes to UH Manoa from Northwestern University where she was assistant university librarian for collection management. In her position, she guided public service, collection and technical services functions of Northwestern‘s collections. She was also in charge of preservation and a number of digitization projects, as well as all collections and their budgets, which amounted to nearly $7 million per year. Perushek also led several development initiatives, including a campaign to raise $20 million in endowments for the collections.

Perushek brings to the position a strong background in research library administration, resource management, planning, digital technologies and Asia-Pacific studies. Prior to working at Northwestern, she held positions as associate dean for collection services at the University of Tennessee, and as curator of two of the major East Asian libraries in the United States — Gest Oriental Library at Princeton University and the Wason Collection at Cornell University. Perushek holds a bachelor‘s degree in French from Lake Erie College in Ohio, master‘s degrees in library science from the University of Michigan and Asian studies from Columbia University, and is completing a doctorate in Chinese fiction from Princeton University.

The UH Manoa Library, housed in Hamilton and Sinclair Libraries, provides the largest collection of information and research materials in the state. More than 3 million volumes, including more than 27,000 currently received serial and periodical titles, make it the 48th largest university library in the United States.

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NOTE TO EDITOR: A photo of Diane Perushek is available. Please call (808) 956-5039 to request a photo via e-mail.