retirement

Library Associate Dean Patrick Yott Retires After 15 Years

Patrick Yott
Patrick Yott

The Northeastern University Library is bidding a bittersweet farewell to Associate Dean for Digital Infrastructure Patrick Yott, who is retiring at the end of the year.

Yott has served the Northeastern University Library for the past 15 years and the imprint he leaves will be long-lasting. An expert on digital scholarship, he founded and led a number of related library departments and spearheaded several initiatives that advanced the state of the art in applying digital technology to academic endeavors.

“Patrick has been a leader when it comes to the way that innovative technology can improve the nature of research,” said Dean of the Library Dan Cohen. “He has envisioned a major evolution in library practice, and helped shape the direction of digital scholarship at Northeastern University.”

Yott oversaw Library Technology Services, the Digital Scholarship Group, Research Data Services, Digital Production Services, and adjacent staff and projects. He also spearheaded the creation of the new Centers for Digital Scholarship as a place where new forms of scholarship from many subject areas can thrive and interact together.

Patrick Yott and Provost David Madigan at a retirement reception

He also directed a number of major grant-funded initiatives focused on using digital technology to advance research and teaching, including funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Mellon Foundation, and Sloan Foundation.

Yott previously worked at the University of Virginia and Brown University.

“Patrick will be greatly missed, both professionally and personally,” Cohen said. “The way he united digital infrastructure, library processes, and scholarly thinking was unique, and led to many new and good ideas.”

With his retirement, Yott is eager to focus on two of his passions: photography and fly fishing. “We wish him all the best in his next stage,” Cohen added.

R&I Librarian Donna Kennedy Retires after 37 Years

Donna Kennedy, R&I Librarian, Snell Library I am both delighted and disappointed to announce that, after working 37 years with Northeastern University Libraries, Donna Kennedy has decided to retire from the University, effective July 1st, 2014. My delight is in knowing that, after years of a strong and productive commitment to her working career, Donna will now have the time to pursue a quite active engagement with her hobbies and, most important, numerous children and grandchildren. My disappointment is in knowing that the Library and University are losing a colleague who has always brought energy, a solid commitment, and a rare expertise to her work and, most especially, to the curricular and research needs of the student and faculty communities. Soon after arriving at the University in 1977, Donna was instrumental in developing services and collections at the former Burlington Campus Library to accommodate and enrich the experiences of a significant population of adult students enrolled in University College (later College of Professional Studies). When the Burlington Campus Library closed, Donna returned to Snell Library to, at first, lead the Access Services Department and, finally, as a Research and Instruction Services Librarian, to anchor the outreach and research support to the significant education program at the University. Donna’s achievements will long be valued and remembered by us and, I’m sure, by the many, many students and faculty to whom she has given expert assistance over the years. We hope to see some of these old friends at the event on June 24th. On behalf of all Library staff, I wish Donna a long and very well deserved retirement. —Will Wakeling, Dean, University Libraries