Suzanne Thorin, Dean of Libraries and University Librarian, Syracuse University
Suzanne Thorin is the Dean of Libraries and University Librarian at Syracuse University. Dean Thorin is a member of the Chancellor’s Cabinet and the Academic Deans Council. Thorin has overseen a number of significant accomplishments during her tenure, including: construction of an offsite library facility with a capacity of 1.2 million volumes; the move ofthe Syracuse University Press to the Library; renovation of Carnegie Library and the return of its reading room to library use; approval and funding for a new humanities reading room and renovated 2nd floor in Bird Library; creation of the first Library Board of Advisors; and a significant increase in library grant income, of over $2.3 million from funders such as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation ($555,000), NEH ($350,000), New York State Education Department ($796,000), CUR ($143,100), NEA ($15,000), among others.
Thorin was recently nominated by President Obama to the Institute for Museum and library Services (lMLS) board. She formerly served on the Association of Research Libraries’ board and now is a member of the Statistics and Assessment Committee. She is a member of the Northeast Research Libraries (NERL) Executive Committee.
Between 1996 and 2005, Thorin was the Ruth Lilly University Dean of Libraries and Associate Vice President for Digital Libraries at Indiana University. Her previous experience includes 16 years at the Library of Congress where she served in numerous capacities, including Chief of Staff to the Librarian of Congress. She holds a bachelor’s degree in music from North Park College (now University) in Chicago and master’s degrees in music history and literature and in library science from the University of Michigan.