NSU Horizons Fall 2007

horizons 9 Riggs also led the development of literature and practice of leadership in librarianship. Library Leadership, Visualizing the Future was the first book on leadership published for librarians. He still lectures on leadership, inspiring the next generation of library leaders by sharing his experience. In 1970, after receiving his M.L.S., Riggs moved back to West Virginia. After three years of instructing and serving as library director at Bluefield State College, he took on the challenge of merging the libraries of four different schools: Bluefield, Concord College, Greenbrier Community College, and Southern Campus of West Virginia College of Graduate Studies. He then served as library director of the combined consortium. The library administrative setup he created still stands today. This situation of simultaneously working for more than one institution arose several times in Riggs’s career. “It challenges the leader to think synergistically,” says Riggs, explaining that combining efforts can result in better library services for all than what could ever be achieved individually. After earning a doctorate in education from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1975, and having spent his entire life in the central eastern United States, Riggs and his family decided it was time for a change. They packed up and headed west. In Colorado, he was challenged to create a new institution, the Auraria Higher Education Center, by merging staff and collections from three libraries: University of Colorado at Denver, Metropolitan State College, and Community College of Denver. This was successfully accomplished. While serving both as director of libraries and professor at UC—Denver, he took on more professional association work, serving on several regional boards. He began publishing more articles and won election as American Library Association (ALA) councilor- at-large—a long-sought victory. Riggs moved on to Arizona State University, which grew dramatically in the 1980s. There, he led the construction of four new libraries, while overseeing large increases in staff and collection development budgets. He served on the ALA PublishingCommittee, theAssociation of College andResearch Libraries (ACRL), AMIGOS Library Services, and many Library and Management Association (LAMA) committees. In 1988, a new chapter in Riggs’s career emerged. His expertise in library technology was first recognized internationally when he was invited to present a paper at the First International Symposium on New Technologies and Applications in Libraries in Xi’an, People’s Republic of China. He subsequently presented and consulted around the world: Hungary, Australia, Ukraine, Republic of South Africa, and Hong Kong. Moving to the University of Michigan in 1991 fulfilled one of Riggs’s lifetime goals, that of running a “Top Ten” library system. During his six years as dean of university libraries, he merged four science libraries, connected the undergraduate and graduate libraries, and implemented several technology initiatives. In 1997, Riggs moved to his current post at NSU where he led the planning for the construction of the 325,000-square-foot Alvin Sherman Library—an endeavor that added volumes of collections, books, art, and services to a library that once took up 17,000 square feet in the Parker Building on NSU’s Davie campus. The joint-use facility, serving the university and the public, was built in association with the Broward County Board of County Commissioners and NSU’s Board of Trustees to provide public access to a high-quality research library with extended hours. Riggs’s experience in collaborative library admin- istration and working with more than one institution at the same time served him well in the joint venture with Broward County. On December 31, 2007, Riggs will retire, after 11 years at NSU. “My 11 years at NSU have been exciting, eventful, and productive,” said Riggs. “Without the support of NSU’s administration, library staff members, community supporters, and the Broward County Commissioners, this library would only have been a dream.” In Riggs’s honor, NSU has established the Donald E. Riggs Scholarship Fund. The fund benefits Alvin Sherman Library employees pursuing master’s degrees in library and information sciences. “Dr. Riggs is a true pioneer in the field of library,” said Ray Ferrero, Jr., J.D., NSU president. “His leadership in the creation of the Alvin Sherman Library was paramount in establishing our library system as the centerpiece of academic life at NSU. This scholarship is a legacy to his distinguished career.” n Rich Ackerman is the manager of electronic resources at the Alvin Sherman Library, Research, and Information Technology Center.