Purdue News
Purdue News
|
|
April 13, 2004 MIT administrator named Purdue's new dean of librariesWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – James L. Mullins, associate director for administration of the libraries at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has been named dean of Purdue University Libraries.
The appointment, effective July 1, and announced today (Tuesday, 4/13) by Provost Sally Mason, is subject to approval by Purdue's Board of Trustees. "After a thorough national search, we are very pleased to have found someone with the vision and the practical experience to continue to lead Purdue Libraries to the next level of excellence," Mason said. "Dr. Mullins has the administrative experience and expertise with university libraries to accomplish that task." Purdue Libraries, with a $16 million budget, includes 14 libraries with nearly 2.4 million volumes, a staff of 205 faculty, professionals and support personnel, and 58 paid student assistants. The MIT libraries include 12 facilities and operate with a budget of $20 million and a staff of 216. In his three-and-a-half years with MIT, Mullins developed short- and long-term expansion and renovation projects, led a task force to develop a reward and recognition program for MIT Libraries staff, generated funding to create a 24-hour study room and preservation center, co-chaired the compact shelving project to support a substantial reorganization of the libraries' collections and headed the MIT/Harvard Evening Cultural Event for the International Federation of Library Associations Conference, among other achievements. Mullins will fill the vacancy left by Emily Mobley, the university's first dean of libraries. He said he and his wife, Kathleen, look forward to returning to Indiana and reacquainting themselves with Purdue. He spent more than 20 years in library administration at Indiana University at the South Bend and Bloomington campuses. "Among the many attractive aspects of the position are being involved with a university I very much respect and returning to Indiana where my wife and I have substantial roots," Mullins said. "Our son received his undergraduate degree from Purdue in 1992. His experience with Purdue prepared him well for continuing his education, which culminated this past summer when he received his Ph.D. in cognitive psychology. During our son's time at Purdue, we became even more aware of how exceptional Purdue University is. As parents, we greatly appreciated the high expectations and standards the university holds for its students." Mullins said he is very impressed with Purdue's library system and is pleased to have the opportunity to build on Mobley's accomplishments. "She has done impressive things to build the library and bring it to the forefront of research libraries in the country," Mullins said. Mullins plans to explore new opportunities for growth and improvement while making library services more available and improving access to print materials. He also plans to involve Purdue in the discussion now taking place at universities worldwide on the avenues presently in place for scholarly communication and future opportunities in this critical arena. "I will strive to create the best utilization of library faculty and staff and seek the means to further integrate library services and resources into the academic instructional process and research," he said. A native of Iowa, Mullins received his bachelor's degree in religion and history and his master's degree in library science from the University of Iowa and his doctorate in library administration, with a minor in higher education/law, from Indiana University. Prior to taking his position at MIT, Mullins was university librarian and director of the Falvey Memorial Library at Villanova University where he was responsible for the administration of all library and instructional media services provided by a staff of 84 with an operating budget of $6 million. He was director of library services at IU's South Bend campus for 18 years after serving for four years as associate librarian for IU Bloomington's School of Law. For more than 20 years, Mullins taught library science courses through the School of Library and Information Science at IU. Mullins is a published authority on university library services and operations and has served in a leadership capacity in a variety of national and international professional organizations, including an appointment to the Association of College and Research Libraries committee that revised the standards for college libraries. He is a member of the American Library Association nominating committee for 2005 and a representative of that association to the marketing and management section of the International Federation of Library Associations. He has won awards throughout his career for his professional work and commitment to the communities in which he has lived and worked. Mobley, the Esther Ellis Norton Distinguished Professor of Library Science, announced on Jan. 9 that she would begin partial retirement. She began with Purdue University in 1986 as associate director of libraries and was named dean of libraries in 1989. She is currently serving as interim dean until June 30, when she will return to the faculty to work part time on a variety of special library projects. Writer: Reni Winter, (765) 496-3133, rwinter@purdue.edu Sources: Sally Mason, (765) 494-9709, sfmason@purdue.edu James L. Mullins, (617) 253-7059, jmullins@MIT.edu Judith Schumaker, libraries advancement, (765) 494-7987, jschumkr@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu Related Web site:
|
