Calicott earned a Master of Library and Information Science and a Master of Arts in English from the University of South Carolina. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Before beginning his work at Louisville Seminary, he worked for nineteen years as a librarian at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. During this time he held several positions including head of research and instruction services. He also served for several years on SACSCOC QEP (Southern Association of Colleges and School Commission on Colleges and Schools Quality Enhancement Plan) committees. He has also served as a librarian at Long Island University and the Queens Public Library.
“Burton’s years of library experience and commitment to sustainability and open access make him the ideal person to serve as library director at this time in our institutional history. His experiences as head of research and instruction will continue to benefit our students as they prepare for many different ministries and careers. In addition, his many years of experience in accreditation will enable him to help us to continue to meet the accreditation standards of all of our accrediting bodies,” said Dean Mumford.
“I am thrilled at the prospect of guiding the library to provide the highest quality and most responsive support to the community in all its endeavors,” said Callicott. “Sustainability and open access are concepts that inform much of my work as the library navigates the myriad of changes that have resulted from the transition from an analog to a digital world.” The Library, which is open to the public, currently offers 24/7 remote access to ebooks and research databases, video tutorials, pictorial guides, and information tools.
Faculty member Marcus Hong, who served as search committee chair added, “In addition to more than 20 years of experience in various library settings, Burton’s warm presence, excellent listening skills and quiet competence were evident to the search committee from the beginning. Through the interview process, we also came to understand that he brings to this role a kind of collaborative leadership that inspires trust in those with whom he works, as well as significant experience in and a compelling vision for the kind of institutional evaluation and accreditation that brings a community together to tell its story.”
Callicott is forever grateful to his wife, Alea McKinley, for all of her support and for the fact that she alerted him to the Public Services Librarian job post that initially brought him to the Louisville Seminary.
The Earnest Miller White Library was named in honor of the Seminary librarian who served from 1944-1985, which spanned the move from the downtown campus to the current location on Alta Vista Rd.
