In February, the heart of Fitchburg State University gained a new architect. Laura Robinson officially stepped into her role as the Dean of the Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library, marking a significant new chapter for an institution dedicated to social mobility and student success.
“Laura brings extensive experience in strategic planning and library operations, from collections and preservation to programming and access services, and excels at building strong cross-divisional relationships to support university needs,” said Fitchburg State Acting Provost and Vice President Franca Barricelli. “I am confident that her record of collaborative leadership will benefit the Gallucci-Cirio Library and our entire campus community.”
Robinson doesn't just see a building full of books when she walks through the Hammond Hall; she sees an engine for equity.
"This university is a place that raises people up and that is an extremely important driver for me," said Robinson. "I’m dedicated to how people make their lives better now. How do they have a great life as a student, how do they learn right now, how do they envision their future? This is a place where students gain opportunities and won’t walk out with crushing debt."
Robinson’s arrival comes at a transformative moment for academic libraries. As digital landscapes shift and artificial intelligence reshapes how students process knowledge, Robinson said she brings a unique blend of "nerdy" passion and pragmatic leadership to Fitchburg State. She isn't just maintaining a collection; she is leading a team of experts dedicated to helping students navigate what she calls the "information chaos."
For Robinson, being a librarian isn't just a career path, it’s a calling.
"Being a librarian is definitely a vocation for me," said Robinson. "I’ve been doing this since the birth of the World Wide Web."
Her journey to becoming the library dean at Fitchburg State began in 1997 at Trinity College. It was her first professional foray into the field, where she managed student employees and immersed herself in the tactile, foundational elements of the craft. Robiinson didn't just stay behind a desk; she learned cataloging, explored the delicate art of book preservation, and even launched a book repair program. It was a period of deep learning that taught her that libraries are living organisms that require constant care and technical expertise.
From there, Robinson’s career became a tour of prestigious New England institutions, each adding a new layer to her leadership style. After Trinity, she held positions at Nichols College before spending almost 15 years at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).
At WPI, a high-intensity engineering school, Robinson initially felt like she was in over her head. But true to her nature as a lifelong learner, she turned the challenge into an opportunity.
"The students started teaching me what it was to think like an engineer," said Robinson. "That mindset became a passion and it made me see the great value of teams with diverse skillsets and experience. That drove my desire to lead a library organization."
We have such a talented staff here. These people are really embedded in the whole curriculum and they are on vital committees. That’s another thing that really drew me to Fitchburg. I was going to be in a place where this space, these services, their collections, were valued and that we had these talented faculty librarians who are sitting at the table to make great things happen, along with a dedicated library staff.
Robinson eventually rose to become the lead librarian for faculty development and research support at WPI before moving to Clark University in 2020.
At Clark, she managed the Robert Hutchings Goddard Library, navigating the immense shifts in higher education brought on by the global pandemic. Through every transition, one thing remained constant: her belief that information is the most valuable currency in the world.
“Librarianship is changing every month, literally every month,” said Robinson. “It’s one of the most exciting careers because we’re in the middle of what matters most, which is information and access to information.”
The move to Fitchburg State was a deliberate, heart-led choice. Robinson, who holds a bachelor’s in English from the University of Connecticut and a master’s in library science from Simmons University, has long harbored a passion for public education.
Before Robinson even applied for the position, she decided to do some on-the-ground research. On a crisp autumn weekend, she drove to the city of Fitchburg to see if the reality of the campus matched the description on the page.
“I could see how gorgeous the library was,” said Robinson. “Even just driving into Fitchburg, I could feel this place. I felt, ‘Oh, I can see myself here.’ I loved the job description, it seemed that the university supports the library.”
What resonated most with Robinson was the university's mission. Robinson said the Central Massachusetts region is a place of attainable opportunity, and Fitchburg State is the center of that progress. Robinson was drawn to the friendly atmosphere where students have direct access to experts, ensuring they leave prepared for the workforce.
Robinson describes herself as a "total dreamer, but also extremely pragmatic." It is a personality profile that perfectly mirrors the modern academic library – a place that must house the loftiest intellectual aspirations while maintaining rigorous, functional systems.
Robinson is quick to point out that she isn't building this vision alone. One of the primary draws to Fitchburg State was the existing talent within the library.
“We have such a talented staff here," said Robinson. "These people are really embedded in the whole curriculum and they are on vital committees. That’s another thing that really drew me to Fitchburg. I was going to be in a place where this space, these services, their collections, were valued and that we had these talented faculty librarians who are sitting at the table to make great things happen, along with a dedicated library staff.”
For Robinson, leadership involves a true team.
“The only way to solve problems effectively is if you have many and varied voices at the table,” said Robinson.
This collaborative spirit is essential when tackling the rapidly shifting landscape of higher education.
In an era dominated by screens and the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, Robinson’s first-year priorities might seem surprising to some: she wants to focus on reading.
“I would not have said that at any other time in my career, but I think we’re in a really exciting moment where there’s a resurgence in books and reading as a kind of response to AI and the overarching culture of summarizing, often without access to or understanding source materials,” said Robinson. “Now being analog is cool, and that hasn’t been the case for most of my career.”
However, Robinson’s embrace of analog doesn't mean she is not looking to the future. In addition to supporting the university’s digital accessibility work, and the rollout of the university’s forthcoming FalconWorks Digital Repository, Robinson intends to lead the library into the heart of the AI conversation. Her goal is to integrate a critical review of AI into the library’s framework, creating a space where students and faculty can voice their concerns and enthusiasm alike.
“Every technology that comes out, people talk about the doom of libraries," said Robinson. "All the technology makes it even more important and even more exciting to be a librarian. A deep understanding of our own information-seeking practices is more crucial than ever.”
To Robinson, the library is the ultimate filter. In a world where a search engine can return millions of results in a second, the librarian's role is to help the student find the right results, and understand the authentic sources of that information, including its biases. In the age of AI libraries play a crucial role in ensuring the availability and accessibility of the original sources of human intellect.
“Librarians find the information in the chaos,” said Robinson. “We want to make it easier for students to find the best stuff, not just the baseline. I want them to know that they can visit the library in-person or online to get digital information, print information and archives. Our team is working with students to navigate the entire information landscape."
Robinson is a painter, a hiker, and a camper, and is a mother to two teenagers, ages 15 and 18.
Whether Robinson is looking at a canvas or a curriculum, she sees potential. Robinson views the library as the heart of the campus—a sanctuary for both the pragmatic student looking for a quiet place to study and the dreamer looking for their next big idea.
“To me, a library is a place where people dream,” said Robinson. “We are always living in the future of the library because librarians are very forward-thinking. The reason why libraries exist is because we believe in the future. We believe that people after us are going to want this knowledge and we will have preserved it for them.”
As Robinson begins her tenure, she is making one thing clear: the Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library is not just a building full of books. It is a bridge to the future, built on a foundation of expert guidance, accessible information, and a deep-seated belief in the power of a Fitchburg State education to change a life.