Steven Escar Smith, Dean of Libraries at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has been appointed to the executive board of Tenn-Share, the statewide library consortium. He will serve as a member and secretary to the board through 2016.

The Tenn-Share consortium — with over 680 member libraries, museums, archives and information agencies of all types and sizes — helps Tennessee libraries deliver efficient, effective library services through group purchasing power and innovative resource sharing projects.

The consortium provides access to databases and other electronic resources that otherwise would be unavailable to users of many academic, public, and K-12 libraries. Tenn-Share also facilitates interlibrary loans among the state’s libraries by running a statewide, library-to-library courier service. A Tenn-Share initiative in Knox County gives the Knox County Public Schools interlibrary loan access to the Knox County Public Libraries and UT Libraries.

Smith has been dean of libraries at UT since 2011.