Texas Digital Library Honors Pattie Orr for Contributions to Library Innovation

Media Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-710-6275
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WACO, Texas (July 10, 2017) – During its annual conference in Austin, the Texas Digital Library (TDL) honored Pattie Orr, who recently retired as Baylor University’s vice president for information technology and dean of University Libraries, for her leadership in academic libraries and unfailing support of the organization’s mission.

Since Orr arrived at Baylor in 2007, she has worked with TDL leadership to further innovation across the state of Texas in the area of digital scholarship. During her tenure on the TDL board, Orr helped oversee the implementation of the Texas Digital Repository, their preservation storage architecture and the implementation of the Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) system. She also has served as a technical consultant to the board, assisting with the technical implementation of several key initiatives.

“Dean Orr has led Baylor’s collaboration with TDL since the beginning, and we are truly grateful for her support of Texas’ academic libraries,” said Kristi Park, TDL executive director, as she presented Orr with the recognition.

Baylor University was one of the initial universities to join the Texas Digital Library when it was founded in 2005. Today, the TDL has 22 members whose partnership represents both large and small research institutions across Texas. The consortium provides digital resources, such as preservation storage, technical training, a platform for open source journals and resources for managing electronic theses and dissertations, which can be used by its member institutions.

During Orr’s decade of service at Baylor, the University hosted several TDL training sessions, and the digital collections of the Baylor Libraries are preserved using storage provided through the consortium.

“Of all of the things I was able to accomplish during my tenure at Baylor, moving its libraries forward on its digital initiatives has been at the forefront,” Orr said. “The future of academic libraries is directly tied to its ability to allow researchers worldwide the most immediate access possible to its collections. Digitization is a bridge to this future. My hope is that the Baylor Libraries will continue to lead the way in digitization and curation of its unique collections.”

The Baylor Libraries will continue their involvement with TDL, not only as members and users of the consortium’s resources, but as leaders in the state of Texas in digital initiatives.

“The opportunities afforded by our membership in TDL keep us at the forefront of the digital library revolution in the state of Texas,” said Eric Ames, curator of digital collections at Baylor and vice chair of the TDL conference planning committee. “This recognition of Pattie’s leadership is a fitting tribute to her years of service to Baylor, TDL and the state of Texas.”

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.

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