Before the Academic Council of the Industrial University of Santander, Professor Sonia Cristina Gamboa took office as the new director of the UIS Library, an appointment she assumes with pride and a sense of responsibility for one of the most significant spaces in university life.
“Well, with considerable pride, first because of the trust placed in me with this appointment, because it is quite a big challenge, a challenge that has to do with the importance of the library in the university for academia,” said the new director after taking office.
In her speech, Gamboa highlighted the central role of the Library as a place where institutional knowledge converges. “It is the place where all knowledge comes to the university in the form of books, references, and knowledge, and it is also the place where students go to learn and gain knowledge,” she said, emphasizing that this space serves multiple functions in comprehensive education.
Beyond the academic, she underscored its human and social dimension. “It also involves having moments of pause, of rest, and the library is that place of encounter with knowledge, with oneself, of also being social there,” she said, emphasizing its value as a space for well-being and coexistence.
Among the main challenges of her administration, the director mentioned the strengthening and proper use of physical spaces. “First, space. We see that it is more important than one might imagine,” she explained, describing the library as “a sacred space, so to speak, where students can go to study in peace and quiet, to rest.”
In the same vein, she stressed the importance of ensuring optimal conditions for functioning and coexistence. “It’s not just about having the willingness, but also having the rules or mechanisms in place so that people behave as they should in the library,” she said.
Another key challenge will be to strengthen coordination with the faculties and academia. For Gamboa, “it is very important that these decisions are made based on research and teaching needs, as they are always dynamic,” which implies constant evaluation and active participation by the academic units.
Finally, he highlighted the value of the recent renovation of the Library and called for its collective care. “This is a jewel that the UIS has. Not all universities have the investment in bibliographic resources that the UIS has, in digital resources and physical resources,” he said, inviting the university community to make responsible use of this space and its resources.
