Shalimar Fojas White Appointed Herman and Joan Suit Librarian of the Harvard Fine Arts Library

Shalimar Fojas White has been appointed to the position of Herman and Joan Suit Librarian of the Fine Arts Library. Shalimar joined the staff of the Fine Arts Library in December 2015 as Collection Development Librarian and has served as Acting Librarian since June 2016. During her relatively short time at the Fine Arts Library, she has established herself as a leader with deep understanding of the library and a bold vision for its future, while effectively managing several key projects, building strong collections, and forging robust relationships with faculty, students, and staff.

Before coming to the Fine Arts Library, Shalimar managed the Image Collections and Fieldwork Archives at the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection in Washington, DC. Prior to Dumbarton Oaks, Shalimar spent six years at ARTstor, first as Public Services Librarian and later as Collection Development Manager for the ARTstor Digital Library. Shalimar is a member of the Visual Resources Association and the Art Libraries Society of North America, most recently serving as Education Liaison on the ARLIS/NA Executive Board from 2015-2017. She holds an MS in library and information science from Pratt Institute, an MA in the history of art from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University, and a BA in history from Harvard.

“Shalimar Fojas White will bring vision, experience, and a fresh perspective to the role of Herman and Joan Suit Librarian of the Fine Arts Library,” said Tom Hyry, Florence Fearrington Librarian of Houghton Library and Director of Arts and Special Collections of the Harvard College Library. “Her appointment signals an exciting new era and will ensure the Fine Arts Library remains a preeminent resource for the study of art history and visual culture by scholars and students at Harvard and from around the world.”

“As an undergraduate, I was fortunate to become familiar with the Fine Arts Library and to grow up intellectually within the Harvard Library system, which inspired me to pursue a career in librarianship,” said Shalimar. “I am humbled at the opportunity to work with the unparalleled collections of the Fine Arts Library alongside such talented and dedicated colleagues. We hope to stay true to the rich legacy of the Fine Arts Library by advancing its mission to support research, teaching, and learning in art, architecture, and visual culture.”

Link to blog post with picture: http://library.harvard.edu/04032017-1411/shalimar-fojas-white-appointed-herman-and-joan-suit-librarian-fine-arts-library