"Both Sarah and Alma will be wonderful additions to the Libraries' leadership team known as the Library Executive Group," says Michael A. Keller, the Ida M. Green University Librarian. "As AULs for Collections and Public Services, they will oversee one of the largest areas in the Libraries covering collections management and public services across twenty libraries and centers. Their incredible talents, skills, and contributions to the Libraries over the years are attestments to the leadership they will bring to their new roles. I am thrilled to welcome such remarkable leaders to our Library Executive Group."
Sarah Sussman: Leading Humanities, Area Studies, and Social Sciences
Sussman started at the Libraries in 2002 as Curator of the French and Italian Collections soon after finishing her PhD in History at Stanford. During her tenure, she developed both the general and special collections in French and Italian focusing on women in France and Italy, history of science and exploration, 18th century French literature and history, and the French empire. Notably, in 2020, she led the acquisition of the Roxane Debuisson Collection on Paris History, a unique and extensive collection documenting the history of Paris through its infrastructure and commerce. The Debuisson Collection is widely used by Stanford faculty today.
James P. Daughton, Professor of History, praises Sussman's role in bringing the collection to Stanford, "Without her determination and leadership, Stanford would not have been able to acquire what is one of the finest private collections in the history of France. In addition to [being] a formidable researcher, she has curated a collection of primary sources that has made Stanford an internationally recognized center for its collections related to French history, culture, and society."
Adds Keith Baker, the J. E. Wallace Sterling Professor of the Humanities, "Sarah Sussman is a superb librarian – knowledgeable, curious, resourceful, generous in support of student and faculty research, and deeply committed to strengthening the collections under her care."
In 2011, Sussman became the head of the International and Area Studies Resource Group, later reconfigured as the Humanities and Area Studies Resource Group (HASRG) in 2017. Leading the HASRG has provided Sussman a natural step forward to her AUL role. "I am excited to build on my curatorial and management experience in a more strategic role as AUL for Humanities, Area Studies, and Social Sciences Collections and Services," shares Sussman. "Guiding my vision is the belief that research and teaching in the global humanities and social sciences are more critical than ever in today's complicated world. I look forward to working with colleagues across the libraries to address the challenges that new technologies and research methodologies offer Stanford's amazing subject librarians and collections in these fields."
Sussman's colleagues are equally excited for her new role. Benjamin Stone, Curator for American and British History, remarks, "Sarah has excelled at building, maintaining, and exposing unique collections at SUL, including rare books and manuscripts, while at the same time staying abreast of technological developments and innovation. At a national and international level, Sarah's long engagement and leadership in the European Studies Section of ACRL exemplifies her commitment to building collaborative relationships with libraries far and wide. The Libraries and the broader Stanford community are highly fortunate to have Sarah's leadership as incoming AUL for Humanities and Social Sciences."
Alma Parada: Leading Sciences and Engineering
Parada's journey to the Libraries echoes that of Sussman's, coming to Stanford in 2016 as a postdoctoral scholar in Marine Biology after receiving her PhD in Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography from the University of Southern California in 2015. She started as the Earth and Environmental Sciences Librarian in 2021, a role she retained when she became Head Librarian for the Branner Earth Sciences Library & Map Collections in 2024.
In her dual roles, Parada managed one of the most comprehensive libraries in the Earth Sciences with its vast holdings in geophysics, energy, climate, and geology, along with its renowned map collections and the GeoSpatial Map Center housed in Branner Library. In 2022, she skillfully navigated Branner Library during the School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences' transformation to the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, continuing Branner Library's support of faculty and students in these new departments.
Faculty and colleagues from across the Doerr School have praised Parada's role in leading Branner Library and welcome her appointment as AUL. Stephan Graham, the Welton Joseph and Maude L'Anphere Crook Professor in Applied Earth Sciences, states, "Dr. Parada has fully met my expectations as Branner Head Librarian. Her background as a Ph.D. holder in Biological Sciences has given her a fundamental understanding of what a nationally recognized Earth library needs to maintain and advance its quality."
Simon Klemperer, Professor of Geophysics, notes Parada's enthusiastic work with students in particular. "Every year," he recounts, "I teach our capstone Senior Seminar to Geophysics and EPS (formerly Geology) students [and have…] found great value in bringing Alma into my classroom to teach the undergraduates how to take advantage of our library system, how to find and properly utilize resources in their own research."
While both acknowledge the loss Parada's departure will be for Branner Library and the Doerr School, they are pleased that she will not be too far away in her AUL role. "The silver lining to Alma's promotion is that she will still be responsible for Branner, and that, as a faculty member, I can be reassured that she will mentor her successor and keep a watchful eye over her former branch library," adds Klemperer.
Parada will bring her extensive research background into this next chapter with the Libraries, "I am delighted to continue my journey at Stanford in this new leadership role and look forward to working with my colleagues to continue evolving our support of science and engineering research and scholarship in partnership with the entire team across the Libraries," says Parada.
Amanda Whitmire, Head Librarian for Hopkins Marine Library, concurs, "Alma has shown consistent growth and development as Head of Branner Library, and I am confident in her leadership. I look forward to collaborating with her in this new role."
As AUL in their respective areas, both Sussman and Parada will oversee collections development and public services including reference, instruction, and research consultations across multiple libraries and centers. They will also retain some aspects of their current roles. Sussman will continue to develop the Libraries' holdings of French rarities and unicae for the Department of Special Collections while Parada will consider and oversee the addition of digital items, collections, and licensing for Stanford's researchers in the sciences, engineering, and sustainability.
Together, they will lead teams of subject specialist librarians and staff who serve faculty and students across Stanford's schools and departments. In their AUL roles, they will shape strategic priorities for building world-class collections in both digital and analog formats, developing innovative services, and fostering partnerships with academic departments to advance Stanford's teaching and research missions.
These appointments reflect Stanford University Libraries' commitment to supporting research across all disciplines while responding to the evolving needs of scholarship in the 21st century. With combined expertise spanning humanities, social sciences, and STEM fields, Sussman and Parada are well-positioned to lead Stanford University Libraries in these areas to support the research and teaching needs at Stanford.
About Stanford University Libraries
The Stanford University Libraries are a dynamic network of libraries, librarians, information technology specialists, and a vast collection of academic resources that are dedicated to supporting research, teaching, and learning at Stanford. The Libraries hold over fifteen million items in various genres and formats, including e-resources, fifty subject specialists, twenty campus libraries and centers, and a broad spectrum of services. The Libraries' archival collections span 96,000 linear feet of materials, 329,781 rare books and manuscripts, and 300 terabytes from hundreds of local and distant collections. The holdings include a large and growing collection of artistic photographs as well as photographs and documents about the history of civil rights in the Mexican American, African American, and Asian American communities, such as the documentary photographic collections of Bob Fitch and David Bacon. There are also political papers of both local and state politicians, such as the recently acquired papers of the late Senator Dianne Feinstein; historical maps featured in the David Rumsey Map Collection; and the incredibly diverse history covered in the Silicon Valley Archives. These archival collections and more are available at the Libraries in the Department of Special Collections and in the Stanford Digital Repository. Finding aids to the Libraries' archival collections are accessible in the Online Archive of California. The Libraries' physical and digital spaces are designed to promote freedom and discovery, making knowledge-seeking more meaningful, more personal, and more connected than ever. The opportunities for contributing to and transforming the commonwealth of knowledge are wide and deep at Stanford University Libraries.
Contact
Stanford University Libraries, Assistant University Librarian for External Relations Anh Ly anhly@stanford.edu
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