(11-August-2011) Dr. Franziska Frey Named Harvard’s Malloy-Rabinowitz Preservation Librarian and Head of Preservation and Digital Imaging Services

AUGUST 11, 2011—The Harvard Library announced that Dr. Franziska Frey has been appointed Malloy-Rabinowitz Preservation Librarian and Head of Preservation and Digital Imaging Services. Frey is currently a faculty member at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and a member of the Munsell Color Science Laboratory. She begins working in her new role in early-October.

“Franziska will bring vast experience, energy and creativity to the Harvard Library,” said Helen Shenton, Executive Director of the Harvard Library. “Her ability to bridge traditional and digital preservation with imaging science is unmatched. Her understanding of conservation, combined with her technological expertise, will be a very valuable contribution to the Library and the University.”

Frey currently serves as Interim Administrative Chair and McGhee Distinguished Professor at Rochester Institute of Technology’s School of Print Media. She is also a faculty member at the Center for Imaging Science in the College of Science and has been instrumental in moving RIT to the forefront of digital asset management and imaging. She was also a Faculty in the “Mellon Advanced Residency Program in Photograph Conservation” at George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography. In 2008, she was guest scholar at the Getty Conservation Institute at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. Frey publishes, consults and teaches in the US and abroad, and has been involved in several international standards groups, as well as serving as VP of the Society of Imaging Science and Technology. Frey holds a PhD in natural science with a concentration in imaging science from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. She earned a Master of Science in geography with a concentration in remote sensing from the University of Zurich and has also completed coursework at the College of Fine Arts in Zurich.

As Head of Preservation and Digital Imaging Services, Frey will be responsible for developing a seamless continuum for the long-term preservation of traditional collections and digital content across the Harvard Library. She will develop and administer programs and services that anticipate the preservation and conservation needs of the Harvard Library’s circulating, digital and special collections. Similarly, she will advance the digital imaging services for the Harvard Library. Frey will also be responsible for developing a risk management approach for the integrated Harvard Library collection and for shaping the strategic direction for preservation, conservation and digitization initiatives to ensure long-term access to all collections.

In her new position, Frey will serve as a member of the senior leadership group of the Harvard Library, and will report to the Executive Director.