Maurine Nichols

University of Houston Libraries welcomes Maurine Nichols as the new assistant head of Acquisitions and Resource Sharing.

Please describe your role at UH Libraries and talk about some of your professional goals.

My goal is to help support the teaching, learning, and research needs of the UH community by maximizing the reach of the library’s collections budget and resource sharing initiatives. There are so many different means and opportunities for procuring and sharing library materials, it can be tricky to home in on what combination of methods works best for a particular organization. I look forward to working with my colleagues to focus on aligning the department’s procurement strategies with the University’s and the Libraries’ strategic goals. I am especially interested in translating the library’s acquisitions methods into avenues for promoting diversity in our collections as well as the publishers and distributors we work with.

Please share a bit about your background and interests. How do these inspire and shape your approach as a librarian?

I have experience working in public, academic, special, and academic health sciences libraries—in both public and technical services roles. I think the breadth of my experience gives me a well-rounded approach to my work. It also informs how I problem-solve and think through workflows.

What is your first impression of the University?

Everyone has been so welcoming! I love the energy on campus—the UH community is incredibly vibrant. I have also found it inspiring that a commitment to student success truly seems to be at the heart of the University.

Favorite hobby/cuisine/book/movie/TV show?

On any given weekend, you might find me camping or rock climbing with my two sons, or watching Netflix and eating too much candy.