When Dean of Libraries Nick Burckel retires at the end of 2005, his successor will take the helm of what Burckel calls "a first-class library."

Burckel remembers when this wasn't always the case.

When he took the position in 1995, "we had very few resources," Burckel said. "I had to cut $250,000 from the acquisition budget (of $2.5 million) my first year here."

If a cash-strapped beginning was the low point of his tenure, Burckel said things quickly moved in a brighter direction as the library explored options to upgrade its facilities.

The board of trustees encouraged Burckel to aim high with the project.

"The trustees responded (to the library's research) by saying, 'we're convinced that you need to do something, but don't be modest about your aspirations,'" Burckel said.

News at the next board meeting of an anonymous $10 million donation toward a new library jump-started the process of designing and building the John P. Raynor, S.J. Library, Burckel said.

The library was completed in August 2003.

Today, the library program operates with an acquisition budget of $5 million, Burckel said.

And a trip to Raynor is now a daily activity for some students.

"Last year, I went at least once a weekday," said College of Arts & Sciences sophomore Judd Hultquist. "It's always nice to stop in between classes."

Beyond Raynor, Burckel said he was also proud of the renovation of Memorial Library, completed in 2004.

"There was a lot of concern that the Memorial would be the poor sister of Raynor," Burckel said.

Now the Memorial has developed a niche as a quieter alternative to Raynor, he said.

Burckel also cited integration of technology into the libraries as a key accomplishment during his time as dean.

"When I came, there were something like 20 black and white dumb terminals that had access only to the online catalogue," Burckel said. "Ten years later, we've got 230 public computers," almost all of which are fully loaded with productivity software.

"The computers in the libraries are a big help for students who, like myself, do not bring their own computers to campus," Hultquist said.

Burckel also said that the improvements to the libraries should not be credited exclusively to him.

"None of this is done single-handedly," Burckel said. "What I would prefer to say is that these are contributions that the library has made during the 10 years that I've been dean."

In 2002, Burckel was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he earned his library degree. And in 2003, the Wisconsin Library Association named him Librarian of the Year.

A committee chaired by Margaret Bloom, vice provost for undergraduate programs and learning, is charged with selecting Burckel's successor.

"Dr. Burckel will be hard to replace," Bloom said.

According to the position announcement provided by Bloom, the committee will begin reviewing applications Sept. 15. A new dean of libraries will take office early next year.

Burckel said catching up on his reading, volunteer work, teaching English as a second language and travel are among his plans for the future.

For the moment, however, nothing is set in stone.

"I've always been kind of goal-directed," Burckel said. "That's good for getting things done, but it's not always necessarily good for relaxation, and I think what I'd like to do is relax a little bit."

This article was published in The Marquette Tribune on September 1, 2005.