Brings Librarianship and Management Expertise to the Role
Joanna Waley-Cohen, Provost for NYU Shanghai, and NYU Dean of Libraries Carol A. Mandel announced today the promotion of Xiaojing Zu to the position of Director of the NYU Shanghai Library. Zu has been with NYU Shanghai since January 2016 as Associate Director for User and Access Services. She assumed her new post effective January 1, 2017.
Zu succeeds Charling “Sha” Fagan, who after 25 years as Director of Libraries and Academic Computing at Sarah Lawrence College came to Shanghai in August 2013 to shape the new NYU Shanghai Library.
Dean Mandel said, “I am very pleased to announce Xiaojing’s promotion. Xiaojing quickly established herself as an integral part of the library’s operations at NYU Shanghai. Working closely with colleagues in Shanghai and New York, she streamlined workflows to ensure that service meets the needs of NYU Shanghai students and faculty. She designed professional development opportunities for library staff and deftly took over stewardship of the important collaboration between NYU Shanghai and the Pudong Public Library. Xiaojing will be a strong leader for the NYU Shanghai Library.”
Zu holds a BA in Library Science from Peking University and a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Louisiana State University, as well as a Master of Business Administration from Berry College in Georgia. Zu comes to her new role well qualified by her accomplishment and growth at NYU Shanghai, her prior experience in user-oriented public services at Berry College, and her management role as head librarian at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Hong Kong.
“Since her arrival at NYU Shanghai, Xiaojing has been an outstanding senior librarian,” said Waley-Cohen. “I am confident her track record for excellence will carry over as she continues to serve the library in her new role. We will rely on Xiaojing’s effective and creative leadership as we continue to develop new programs, bring on new faculty, and expand the student population in Shanghai. Her colleagues in the Shanghai and Washington Square campuses very much look forward to working with her in her new role.”
Provost Waley-Cohen and Dean Mandel jointly commended Sha Fagan for her "extraordinary accomplishment in shaping the NYU Shanghai Library." Mandel added, "We are grateful that, after her successful career at Sarah Lawrence College, Sha was willing to change her retirement plans for a new adventure with us in Shanghai. The results have been superb.”
Fagan will remain with the NYU Library on a part time basis as a senior consultant through the end of spring semester 2017.
The NYU Division of Libraries is a global system comprising five libraries in Manhattan and one each in Brooklyn, Abu Dhabi and Shanghai. Its flagship, the Elmer Holmes Bobst Library on Washington Square, receives 2.6 million visits annually. For more information about the NYU Libraries, please visit http://library.nyu.edu
NYU Shanghai Library Mission Statement
The NYU Shanghai Library advances the liberal education, research and public service mission of NYU Shanghai by seeking and providing intellectual resources and fostering platforms for scholarly exchanges. As a full-service library and learning environment, the library brings together collections throughout NYU’s global network, high-capacity computing tools, and professional assistance by library staff and instructional technologists to provide a single point of assistance for faculty and students.