As the chief academic and administrative officer of the university's extensive library system, Kenney will lead one of the world's largest research libraries, with a total budget of over $50 million, a staff of more than 450 and more than 7.5 million volumes. Cornell has 20 constituent libraries located in Ithaca, Geneva (N.Y.), New York City and Doha (Qatar), and it also actively serves scholars around the globe.

"I am honored to be selected as Cornell's 11th university librarian," Kenney said. "Cornell University Library combines international leadership in digital library development with an abiding commitment to traditional scholarly resources. It consistently tops user surveys for the excellence of its services and holdings, ranking as the key campus service by graduating seniors and among the top criteria contributing to faculty work satisfaction. Based on our strengths -- first-rate collections, outstanding staff, central campus locations, constituent support -- the library is well positioned to address key challenges of the next decade and maintain its pre-eminent academic place. I can't think of an institution that I would more enjoy leading in this work."