THIBODAUX, La. – Nicholls State University recently named Brandy Burbante director of Ellender Memorial Library.
“I am pleased to announce Mrs. Brandy Burbante as the newly appointed Library Director. Mrs. Burbante comes with a strong work ethic, work experience and knowledge of digital technology that will serve the university and our students well,” said Dr. Sue Westbrook, Nicholls provost and vice president for academic affairs.
Burbante, a Morgan City native, earned her undergraduate degree from Nicholls State in English Language Arts Teacher Education and her Master’s of Library and Information Science focusing in Academic Libraries from Louisiana State University. She has spent over 11 years serving Nicholls as a library specialist, a professional academic advisor and instructor, a research and instruction librarian, an outreach coordinator, a freshmen success coordinator and head of technical services and cataloging librarian.
In 2020, Burbante received the Nicholls State University Woman of Achievement Award. She is a current member of several university committees, including discipline, student success and retention, courses and curricula, faculty senate, commencement, Scholars Expeaux, faculty advisor for Nicholls State Veterans Organization and treasurer for Nicholls chapter Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. Burbante is also a member of the Louisiana chapter of the Association of College and Research Libraries, Louisiana Library Association, The Louisiana Library Network Professional Development Working Group, Thibodaux Service League and Nicholls Alumni Association.
“I graduated from Nicholls as a first-generation college student. I started working at the library in 2012, so my new appointment as library director feels like a full-circle moment. Honestly, I never saw myself in a role like this until recently. When I graduated from Nicholls, I was an English teacher. However, my career path changed and kept changing. I’ve had various positions at Nicholls and within this library, and it is exciting to begin the final stage of my career,” said Burbante. “My mission as the library director is to be a compassionate and empowering leader who fosters positive actions, meaningful change and quality service, providing engaging library experiences for all. I plan to lead by example, reinforcing the library as a pillar of the university to develop successful lifelong learners, information literacy and affordable learning initiatives.”
As a unit of Nicholls State University, Ellender Memorial Library shares the university’s overall goals and objectives. The primary mission of the library is to support the university’s curriculum, instruction, and research and public service programs. The library strives to ensure that all students and faculty have access to information and services which support the processes of learning and provide a variety of spaces to facilitate learning and communication. To learn more, visit www.nicholls.edu/library.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, August 17, 2023
MEDIA CONTACT: Jerad David, Director of Communications,
985.448.4303 or jerad.david@nicholls.edu
