Lorcan Dempsey Press Room

Media advisory: Members of the media are invited to attend any of the events listed below. Advance telephone interviews with Dempsey may also be scheduled. For more information, contact KU Libraries at 785/864-8961.

KU to host world renowned librarian

KU Libraries and the Hall Center for the Humanities' Globalization(s) Seminar will host Lorcan Dempsey, vice president, Office of Research, and chief strategist for the Online Computer Library Center, Inc. (OCLC), for a series of events in December, including a public presentation at the Hall Center on December 5.

Dempsey, a librarian who has worked for library and other educational organizations in Ireland, England and the United States, will advise event participants on the current state of applications of information technology to the work of libraries and where it may lead in the future. This is his first visit to Kansas.

"Lorcan Dempsey began his career as a researcher in Ireland and the United Kingdom, and now travels globally as part of his duties at OCLC, a network of more than 50,000 cooperating libraries across the world," said Lorraine J. Haricombe, dean of KU Libraries. "Lorcan hopes to learn about trends in this region and share lessons from his own research. OCLC aims to help librarians, archivists and museum leaders work together to meet the needs of the people we all serve — locally and around the world. I am delighted to welcome him to KU."

Dempsey will offer his expertise during three main events:

• A special meeting for the senior leaders of several libraries in the area at KU's Spencer Research Library on Wednesday, December 5 from 10-11:30 a.m.
• A presentation entitled "The changing scholarly and cultural record: Some issues for universities in an age of globalization," on Wednesday, December 5, 3:30-5 p.m. at the Hall Center for the Humanities. Interested attendees should R.S.V.P. by calling KU Libraries at 785/864-8961.
• An open meeting with staff of KU's Information Systems organization (which includes KU Libraries), on Thursday, December 6, 9-11 a.m. in Alderson Auditorium in KU's Memorial Union.

Dempsey has consulted with national policy and service organizations in several countries and has policy, research and service development experience in the area of networked information and digital libraries. He also writes and speaks extensively, and can be followed on the Web via his popular blog at orweblog.oclc.org. He is currently a member of the National Information Standards Organization board and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.

KU Libraries Contact

Rebecca Smith
Director of Public Relations & Advancement
University of Kansas Libraries

Email: rasmith@ku.edu
Phone: 785.864.1761
Mobile: 785.424.4224