Whytock, who comes to Berkeley Law from UC Irvine, “will be outstanding” in her new role, Dean Erwin Chemerinsky says. Photo credit: Laurie Frasier
She was hooked. Her passion only grew in law school, where she excelled at anything involving research.
“I knew the law librarians because I worked in the library, and they were very encouraging to me to consider that as a profession,” Whytock says. “I was able to start library school right away and work at the law school library while I was doing that. So it worked out perfectly.”
More than 20 years later, Whytock’s enthusiasm keeps growing. After earning three degrees at Indiana, she spent eight years at USC, then another 15 at UC Irvine. As Berkeley Law’s new library director, she’s excited to continue innovating in a rapidly changing landscape.
“I really believe in access to information and the importance of making sure that people can get their hands on the reliable, authoritative information that they need. But I also really believe in helping with the law school’s mission,” she says. “I love libraries. I love what libraries do in the world. But I also love what they do in law schools — from supporting faculty scholarship to working with students — and I feel very lucky. It’s just what I’m passionate about.”
Whytock adds that she was very happy at Irvine, but Berkeley Law’s reputation, strong students, and exciting faculty made the opportunity to lead here irresistible.
“I know how a law library can make an impact on the lives of a school community,” she says. “I thought we were doing great things at UCI. But the idea of taking my years of experience and coming to this dynamic environment where students and faculty are very engaged and doing interesting and important things, and seeing what I could do to help — that’s what drew me.”
Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, who worked with Whytock when he was the inaugural dean at UC Irvine, says he’s thrilled she accepted the school’s offer.
“Jessica has enormous experience, including having been a director of a law library at another UC law school, and is regarded nationally as a leader among law librarians,” he says. “Our library is an integral part of the law school’s scholarship, teaching, and public service. Berkeley Law has had a tradition of terrific law librarians and I know Jessica will be outstanding.”
Professor Molly Van Houweling, who chaired the committee that hired Whytock, echoes the dean’s sentiments.
“It’s clear from talking to her and learning about her experiences at UC Irvine and USC that she is a problem solver and an institution builder,” she says. “She looks for innovative ways to integrate the library and the services it provides into all aspects of the law school. I’m looking forward to seeing how she builds on our outstanding tradition of library leadership — including our most recent Interim Director Dean Rowen, to whom we are all so grateful for his service in this role and as our director of Reference and Research Services.”
As she settles in over the summer, Whytock is eager to hear from all corners of the law school community. She’s mindful and grateful to be working at a public institution with such a devotion to service.
“There’s just no question that Berkeley is at the forefront of so much, and that by being part of this institution, you get to see and learn and support the important work that folks are doing here,” she says. “I’m really excited to see what we can do to support some of the really dynamic things that the school is doing.”
