photo by: University of Kansas

Catherine Quinlan

The former dean of libraries at the University of Southern California is a finalist for the same position at the University of Kansas.

Catherine Quinlan will give a public presentation at 3 p.m. Thursday at Watson Library on the KU campus to detail how she would approach the leadership position at KU.

Quinlan served as the dean of USC libraries for 15 years, stepping down in June 2022. She continues to hold the title of university librarian for USC and is a dean emeritus at the Los Angeles-based private university.

During her tenure at USC, Quinlan launched a master of management in library and information science program in conjunction with USC’s business school, produced the Emmy-winning show “Lost LA” that highlighted USC’s library collections and resources, and established the USC Digital Repository that became a major provider of digital preservation services for the film industry, numerous corporate clients and academic institutions.

Prior to moving to USC, Quinlan spent a decade at the University of British Columbia, leading that university’s library system. Quinlan has degrees from three Canadian universities, including a master’s degree in business administration from Memorial University in Newfoundland, a master’s in library studies from Dalhousie University and an undergraduate degree from Queen’s University.

The KU dean position is open after Kevin Smith announced in June that he would resign as KU libraries dean to take a similar position at Colby College.

Quinlan is the fourth and final candidate for the dean position. All the candidates have been meeting with Chancellor Douglas Girod, Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer, senior administrators, KU Endowment, KU Alumni Association, University Governance and KU Library groups. KU hasn’t announced a timeline for selecting a new dean

People who want to watch Quinlan’s presentation remotely on Thursday afternoon can do so at kansas.zoom.us/j/93327716827#success. The passcode is 959680.