Striking a Blow for Gender Equality at Oxford

I thought readers of OOTJ would be interested in this news item from the latest edition of the Smith College Alumnae E-Newsletter:

"Leading Librarian Ends 400 Years of Male Tradition at Oxford

Sarah Thomas ’70 broke more than four centuries of English tradition earlier this year when she became the first woman to lead Oxford’s Bodleian Library, the second-largest library in the U.K. In her new role, Thomas, who has also worked at the Library of Congress and most recently at the Cornell University Library, oversees more than 11 million printed volumes at 40 different sites. She is also responsible for modernizing the library system and bringing it into the digital age, while preserving the library’s long history. Just as news came of her appointment, Thomas was awarded a 2007 Melvil Dewey Medal from the American Library Association, which recognizes distinguished service to the profession of librarianship. In announcing the award, Winston Tabb of Johns Hopkins University, the award jury chair, recognized Thomas for her extraordinary leadership in the advancement of research libraries, and cataloging and bibliographic standards and practices during her three-decade career. Thomas will be presented with the Melvil Dewey Award on June 26 during the annual ALA Conference in Washington, D.C."