The Faculty of Information (iSchool) at the University of Toronto has named Professor Wendy Duff as its ninth Dean, for a two-year term. After serving as Interim Dean since January, Prof. Duff’s officially became Dean as of July 1, 2016, succeeding Professor Seamus Ross, who completed his term in December 2015.
“I look forward to working with the community to ensure we continue to offer students the courses and programs they need to become successful professionals, and provide an optimal academic environment to help our professors conduct ground breaking research and share that knowledge with the next generation of leaders,” Dean Duff says.
Within the iSchool and the U of T Community, Professor Duff has shown a passion for research, academia, the fields of archives and records management, and is a strong supporter of the iSchool’s mission. Prof. Duff joined the Faculty in 1997 and has since served as the Interim Director of Museum Studies program, Director of the Digital Curation Institute (DCI), and the Director of Graduate Studies at the iSchool.
At U of T, she has also served as a member of numerous University boards and committees including the Academic Board from 2008-2012 and 2014-2015, as well as the Planning and Budget Committee in 2014-2015.
As Dean, Professor Duff hopes to make essential advancements in operational, structural, and academic planning over the next two years. Specifically over the next year, she will review the strategic direction of the Faculty. Recognizing the changing landscape of working in the digital age, she wants to support the iSchool’s cutting-edge programs, while maintaining an interdisciplinary approach to teaching and research for Masters and Doctoral students, as well as for faculty.
She remains an active researcher within the field of archives and records management, with a focus on access to archival materials, and is currently using case study methodology to understand how archives have assisted or failed to assist in righting injustices and supporting social justice.
Apart from her work in university administration, Professor Duff works with international team of researchers interested in creating access to primary materials through the network AX-SNet. She also served as a member of the International Council on Archives Ad hoc Commission on Descriptive Standards, the Encoded Archival Description Working Group, and The Canadian Council of Archives Standards Committee.
Professor Duff earned her B.A from the University of King’s College, her M.L.S. from Dalhousie University, and holds a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh.
Congratulations Professor Duff.
