The Oregon State University Sesquicentennial Oral History Project

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Karyle Butcher Oral History Interview. May 8, 2014

Karyle Butcher Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Janice Dilg.

May 8, 2014

Location:  Valley Library, Oregon State University.

Karyle Butcher (b. 1942) was a member of the OSU Libraries faculty from 1981 to her retirement in 2010, serving as University Librarian for the final fourteen years of her career. As director of the OSU Libraries, Butcher oversaw a massive physical expansion of the campus' main branch library, promoted a culture of scholarship and innovation within the organization, and guided OSU Libraries to a position of leadership within an information landscape rapidly transitioning from paper to electronic. During Butcher's tenure as University Librarian, the University Archives and the OSU Press - with Butcher serving as director - also came under the umbrella of the OSU Libraries. Her interview traces her personal evolution as a librarian and as a leader, and also documents the massive changes that came about during her years of association with the OSU Libraries.