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UIC Library Faculty Profile: Deborah Blecic, Professor Emerita: About

Biography

I joined the Library Faculty in 1991 in a visiting position, and was appointed as Assistant Professor and Bibliographer for the Life and Health Sciences in 1994.  I was promoted to Associate Professor in 2000, and to Professor in 2014.  In 2013 I began a new position as Collections Coordinator for the UIC Library.  I earned my MLS from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I retired and was appointed Professor Emerita in 2021.

Research

My research focuses on the use and adoption of electronic resources by library patrons, issues for libraries in gathering and interpreting electronic resource use data, and the use of the data to inform library services and collections.    

Librarianship

As Collections Coordinator, I coordinated all aspects of collections development for the UIC Library, working with over 25 liaison librarians/selectors.  I trained new selectors, allocated and managed the UIC Library Collections Budget, and directly managde interdisciplinary resources and the library science collection.  I was the UIC liaison to five library consortia, and worked with consortia on joint purchases of electronic resources and other projects.  I also managed collections statistics and assessment.

Previously I served as Bibliographer for the Life and Health Sciences, Acting Bibliographer for Engineering, Mathematics, and the Physical Sciences, and Acting Science Librarian. 

Service

I have served/currently serve on  library, campus, university (UI), and consortia committees, as well as the UIC Faculty Senate.  Most of my professional organization service has been within the Medical Library Association, and I served on the editorial board for Science & Technology Libraries.