Shari Laster (she/they) will serve as the inaugural Associate University Librarian and Director of Systemwide Library Facilities, starting on January 2, 2026.
In this role, Shari will oversee SLF-North and SLF-South, and will collaboratively respond to and advance the long-term physical preservation and access needs of all of the UC libraries. Shari will be based at the Northern facility (Richmond and Berkeley).
Shari comes to us from Arizona State University, where she currently serves as Head, Open Collections Curation & Access and Interim Associate University Librarian. In this role, Shari provides leadership for community-focused collection development, digital repository management, and specialized collections services, supervising nearly a dozen direct reports and 30+ personnel within the department. Previously, Shari held positions at UC Santa Barbara as Government Information & Data Services Librarian and at the University of Akron as Government Documents/Reference Librarian. Shari earned an MSLS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2007.
Shari brings extensive experience in collaborative collection management and shared print programs, currently serving as Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee for the Western Regional Storage Trust (WEST). Shari has been deeply involved in government information preservation initiatives, including service on the Depository Library Council and a leadership role with the Preservation of Electronic Government Information (PEGI) Project. Their scholarly work includes co-editing "Transforming Print: Collection Development and Management for our Connected Future" and numerous publications on collections strategy and government information access. At ASU, Shari successfully led complex projects including the relocation of over 800,000 volumes during the Hayden Library renovation and served as project coordinator for a Mellon-funded initiative exploring data-driven approaches to collections design. Their leadership philosophy centers on people-focused collaboration and operationalizing strategy in service of equitable access.
We look forward to Shari's leadership and continuing our collaboration with our fellow University of California libraries.
Background: The UC Libraries shifted operational and strategic oversight of our Regional Library Facilities to become fully systemwide service centers. This change builds on the existing “one RLF, two locations” ethos and work practices. For more information about the shift from regional to fully systemwide library facilities, please see the UC Berkeley Library blog post about charting a unified course for the facilities from August 2025 and the SLF FAQ. You can read the full announcement on Shari's arrival on the UC Berkeley Library blog.