Dean of libraries announces retirement

Jim Mullins, dean of libraries and the Esther Ellis Norton Professor, has announced that he will retire from Purdue on Dec. 31.

“Since joining Purdue in 2004, Jim has instituted innovative changes to improve and promote access to research and information for faculty, staff, students and visitors to Purdue,” says Deba Dutta, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity. “Under Jim’s leadership, Purdue Libraries has emerged as an international leader in information literacy -- including the first endowed professorship -- scholarly communication, data management, and archives and special collections. He has helped Purdue conceptualize and create a new form of library and learning spaces, a vision that will be fully realized with the opening this fall of the Wilmeth Active Learning Center.”

In 2015, Purdue Libraries received the Excellence in University Library Award of the Association of College and Research Libraries, the highest distinction among academic libraries in the U.S. In 2016, Mullins received the prestigious Hugh A. Atkinson Award by the American Library Association in recognition of his outstanding leadership and his many contributions to research libraries.

Mullins’ contributions extend beyond Purdue. He has served in leadership roles in organizations such as the Association of Research Libraries, International Association of Technological University Libraries, International Federation of Library Associations, American Library Association, Association of College and Research Libraries, the Big Ten Academic Alliance, Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, the Center for Research Libraries, and the Academic Libraries of Indiana. In addition, he has maintained a consistent scholarly publication and presentation agenda.

Plans to launch a search for identifying the next leader for Purdue Libraries will be announced in the coming weeks, Dutta says.