News release Public Information Office   SLU 10880   Hammond, LA 70402   phone: 985-549-2341   fax: 985-549-2061 publicinfo@selu.edu Spring 2004 news releases Public Information home News archive Contact: Christina Chapple Date: 4/27/04   Click on image for publication quality photo ERIC JOHNSON NAMED DIRECTOR OF SLU’S SIMS MEMORIAL LIBRARY       HAMMOND -- Eric Johnson has been named director of Southeastern Louisiana University’s Sims Memorial Library.       Johnson, who joined the Southeastern faculty in 1996 as the library’s assistant director for user services, has served as interim director since the retirement in September 2002 of long-time director Kay McIntyre.       Johnson earned his bachelor’s degree in education and master’s degrees in library science and English from Southern Connecticut State University. He also did further graduate study in educational management at the University of Bridgeport. As library director, he oversees a budget of more than $3 million and operations and staffing of Sims Memorial Library’s 375,000 volumes, 2,375 serial titles, 780,000 microforms, 44,000 audiovisual materials, 211,000 government documents, 19 professional and 22 support personnel and 90 student assistants.         Recently, the library, implemented a 24-hour virtual reference service, where students can chat and co-browse web sites online with a librarian; created a third state-of-the-art classroom; and added a Java City coffee shop in the library lobby.       As director, Johnson said he would like to make further improvements such as installing wireless technology throughout the building and establishing a loan out system for laptop computers. His other goals include exploring opportunities for new relationships with area schools, creating an active Friends of the Library group, seeking grants for improvements to technology and collections, and increasing the number of cultural events presented in the library.       “I also plan to review how funds are divided among print materials and electronic materials, and books and serial publications, to make sure we're maintaining a balanced collection that meets the needs of the students and faculty,” Johnson said.       Before coming to Southeastern, Johnson was director of the Traurig Library and Learning Resource Center at Teikyo Post University in Waterbury, Conn. He also previously was on the staff of the Magnus Wahlstrom Library at the University of Bridgeport, the University of New Haven Library, Yale University’s Sterling Memorial Library and Yale’s art and forestry libraries.       He is a member of the American Library Association, the Association of College and Research Libraries, LALINC (Louisiana Academic Library Information Network Consortium), and the Louisiana Library Association, and is a former president and vice president of the ACRL’s Louisiana chapter. Among his professional activities, Johnson co-developed SOFTINFO, a database of sources of information about IBM-compatible education software.