February 16, 2023
UW Libraries Welcomes New Associate Dean and Director
Richard S Lewis joined UW Libraries in January 2023 as the new Associate Dean and Director for UW Bothell/Cascadia College Campus Library. In this role, Lewis is responsible for strategic visioning, policy and program development, operations and personnel, and overall innovation and excellence in the UW Bothell and Cascadia College Library.
Richard grew up in Lynwood, WA, and is a UW alum having earned his BA in English at the Seattle campus, before pursuing a Master of Information Resources and Library Science from the University of Arizona. Richard also earned a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies: Philosophy & Moral Sciences and Media & Communications from the Free University of Brussels. Richard comes to the UW from Prescott College in Prescott Arizona, where he was Library Director for nine years.
What interests you most about this position?
I am intrigued by the complexity and intersectionality of the libraries across multiple campuses– UW Seattle, Bothell, the Cascadia College campus and UW Tacoma. I look forward to learning more about all of the ways our communities intersect with the library, and I value the various perspectives and interests of the people involved, both internal to the library as well as external. It is clear that this job will never be boring!
About The UW Bothell and Cascadia College Campus Library
UW Bothell serves students from diverse racial/ethnic and cultural populations and has a strong commitment to interdisciplinary research and teaching. The UW Bothell and Cascadia College Campus Library is uniquely positioned as a key resource in supporting the teaching, learning, and research needs of both the UW Bothell and Cascadia College communities. As part of the University of Washington Libraries system, the UW Bothell and Cascadia College Campus Library serves a combined 8,500 students. The Campus Library is a critical partner in fostering collaboration across this shared campus environment.
What are you most excited about in the coming year?
The people! All the people working at this library are amazing. Not only have they been very welcoming, but they all have a passion for their work and are wonderfully caring people. There have been some really great conversations around DEI work…where are we, where have we been, and how we move forward with this very critical work. My professional and personal mission here are one and the same: To contribute to a community where people can be themselves, and everyone can connect their passions to whatever it is they are doing.
Also, as many academic libraries consider how to evolve their spaces to meet the needs of their users, UW Libraries are also thinking about this and how we might re-imagine library spaces. It’s exciting to be a part of that process and conversation.
What is something about UWBCC Library you think everyone should know?
Image: “Killer Whale Rattle” by Fred Beltran, part of the UW Bothell Library’s Rose Collection.
The amazing Rose Collection of Northwest Coast Indian and Alaska Native art that resides throughout our library. Also, the great river of crows that fly over the library at dawn and dusk.
What are some of your hobbies / what do you like to do in your free time?
I collect old manual typewriters and fix them up. I love technology, but I am also quite critical of how it affects us personally and culturally. Typewriters can provide an interesting lens on the current communication technologies that we use.
Lewis began typing his dissertation on this typewriter, the first in his collection.
Lewis’ Siberian Husky, Atticus, sits in front of the holiday typewriter “tree”.
