Kansas University on Wednesday announced the 17 members of the search committee for a new dean of libraries, with some faculty expressing concerns about the committee’s makeup.

The committee begins work this month to find a replacement for Stella Bentley who announced in October she will retire next year. Bentley has held the position since 2002. Steve Hedden, dean of the School of Fine Arts, will chair the committee.

Denise Stephens, vice provost for information services, said the employees were either nominated or volunteered to serve on the committee. “We really hope that we’ve achieved broad perspective, which is what we were trying to achieve,” she said.

Several faculty members have raised concerns recently about the direction of the libraries, particularly Watson Library, KU’s oldest and largest, which some feel is losing its research edge and becoming more like an undergraduate computer lab.

A position paper written by faculty in the English department called for representation of humanities faculty on the dean search committee. There are some humanities faculty members on the panel, including Victor Bailey, director of the Hall Center for Humanities.

Edith Clowes, professor of Slavic languages and literatures, said representation on the committee of faculty in the humanities was “extremely poor,” particularly because humanities faculty are among those most hurt by the library changes.

Marjorie Swann, associate professor of English, said she believed there should be representation from faculty in area studies, such as Latin American studies or Russian & East European studies, because KU’s collections in such areas are renowned, and work in these areas brings in a significant amount of research funds.

“There’s a real blind spot that’s being revealed by the makeup of this committee,” Swann said.

Stephens said there would be other opportunities, other than serving on the committee, to participate in the search process. Faculty can meet with candidates when they visit campus, and they can provide thoughtful evaluation of the candidates, she said.

KU Libraries has a $15 million annual budget and 180 staff members. A $5.8 million library annex is under construction on KU’s West Campus.

Kari Balthazor, of the office of the vice provost for information services, and Barbara Gorman, office of the dean of libraries, will provide staff support for the search.