Though only in his second month at the UCR Library, Kent LaCombe is already in the midst of several projects designed to help better preserve and provide access to the library’s rich collection of water-related materials. As the Water Resources Librarian he is responsible for managing and curating the library’s unique contemporary and historic materials devoted to all aspects of water resources held in both the Special Collections’ Water Resources Collections and Archives (WRCA) and in the general collection.

LaCombe’s educational and professional background make him well-positioned to oversee the growth and evolution of a collection that currently boasts more than 200,000 technical reports, 1,500 specialized newsletters, 5,000 maps, 200 manuscript collections, and 45,000 historic photographs documenting water history. He holds a Ph.D. in Environmental History from Kansas State University where his dissertation focused on freshwater ecosystems, specifically environmental change in Lake Huron during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Before coming to UCR LaCombe was an Assistant Professor of Libraries at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he served as an embedded liaison librarian in the School of Natural Resource Sciences. LaCombe also holds an M.L.S. from Emporia State University and has extensive experience working in libraries, archives, and museums. Most notably he served as the Assistant Director of Vermont’s Brownell Library and was the Search and Sorting Supervisor at Kansas State University’s Hale Library.

LaCombe has often described this position as a “dream appointment” for him that perfectly matches his specialized abilities, experience, and long-term professional goals. He views this position as the perfect vehicle for applying his expertise and passion for both information science and water studies. Through everything from resource visibility, promotion and teaching to donor cultivation, he is prepared to drive the building, enhancement, maintenance, and delivery of the library’s world class water resources collection. The library is pleased to welcome LaCombe to our team and with him at the helm we are excited to witness the new and exciting directions that this world class research collection is headed.