Appointment of Mark Newton as University Librarian

From Dr. Jean Morrison, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer

Earlier this year, we launched a national search to select a permanent University Librarian at Boston University. Following a competitive process that considered several strong, experienced candidates, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Newton as University Librarian, effective immediately.

Mark has been at BU since 2019 and he has served as University Librarian ad interim since July 2021. During this time, he has led several critical efforts at the University level and within the libraries. Most importantly, he has actively led or been involved in the consultative processes over the last four years to set the vision for the future of the BU libraries. Prior to Mark’s arrival, the Committee on Scholarly Resources and Services (a sub-committee of the BU 2030 Strategic Plan) helped elevate the importance of the libraries within the BU 2030 Strategic Plan. Mark then led the Library Strategic Planning Implementation Task Force, which gathered feedback from library staff. These efforts resulted in one of the Strategic Plan’s central commitments to reimagine and renovate Mugar Library as a vibrant, modern hub for research and a focal point for our University community.

As we move into the next phase of implementing BU’s Strategic Plan, Mark is leading a new planning effort, the Library Vision Steering Committee, along with Assistant Provost for Academic Space Planning Amy Barrett. The expansive reimagining of a modern research library program – commensurate with the research and learning needs of an R1/AAU member institution – is the first step in this process. The committee’s goal is to set a new vision for its services and collections to inform the interior renovation of Mugar. Through outreach to the community this spring, the committee has heard from faculty, staff, and students as it works to identify a new mission and guiding principles to lead the library forward. Included in this effort will be an assessment of our current library holdings to ensure our collections, both in print and online, anticipate and meet the needs of BU faculty and students into the future. With the continuity of leadership that Mark brings to these initiatives, I am confident that we will remain on track to realize a timely, full renovation of Mugar and its transformation into the intellectual and academic heart of our community.

Mark has additionally been focused on rebuilding and developing the staff and services of the library. He has led two successful national leadership searches and developed and staffed new library departments. He launched Digital Ventures, a new unit to digitize and produce online access points for special collections materials, as well as Library Technology and Discovery Services, which administers the library’s collection management and discovery platforms. Mark’s commitment to ensuring wide access to the research of BU scholars builds on his longstanding efforts in scholarly communication and open access. He represents BU to the Higher Education Leadership Initiative on Open Scholarship and has coordinated with Office of Research and IS&T leadership to create a working group on Research Data Management and Sharing in support of new National Institutes of Health granting requirements.

Throughout his time at BU, Mark has developed an in-depth knowledge of the challenges the BU libraries face in modernizing its collections, spaces, and services. He has formed strong connections with BU leadership throughout his service on various committees, including the IS&T Common Services and Information Security Governance Committee and the BU Spark! Internal Advisory Council. Mark’s experience in advancing new campus services through the use of technology in libraries and his understanding of the library’s needs and aspirations make him an ideal leader to transform Mugar Library to better serve our digital-age R1/AAU University moving forward.

Prior to his appointment as University Librarian ad interim, Mark served as BU’s Associate University Librarian for Digital Strategies and Innovation, beginning in 2019. In this role, he directed efforts across the library’s technical services and platform support as well as its digital scholarship and open repository programming. He oversaw the organizational transition of both collections management and instructional services. He also led the library’s efforts to provide continuity of service to faculty and students during the COVID pandemic.

Prior to arriving at BU, Mark served as director of digital scholarship at Columbia University. He also previously worked as digital collections librarian and assistant professor of library science at Purdue University. Mark has authored several articles on digital library services and has served as editor-in-chief of the peer-reviewed Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication. He holds a master’s in library and information science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has served on the Boston Library Consortium Board of Directors since 2021 and was a founding member of the Ivy Plus Digital Scholarship Discussion Group in 2018. He has presented at more than 20 conference sessions and lectures.

Please join me in congratulating Mark on his appointment and wishing him well as he transitions into this permanent role. I would also like to express my gratitude to the members of the University Librarian Search Advisory Committee, chaired by Wheelock College of Education & Human Development Dean David Chard, for their work on this important search. I’d also like to thank those of you, particularly the library staff, who engaged with the search advisory committee during this time.

Boston University Librarian Search Advisory Committee

Chair:
David Chard, Dean, Wheelock College of Education & Human Development

Members:
Eleni Castro, Director of Digital Ventures, BU Libraries

Robert Chodat, Professor of English, College of Arts & Sciences

Dana Clancy, Director, School of Visual Arts; Associate Professor of Art, Painting, College of Fine Arts

Ashley Jester, Associate University Librarian for Research & Learning

Patricia O’Brien, Vice President and Associate Provost for Academic Budgets & Planning

Ron Wheeler, Interim Associate Dean for Equity, Justice & Engagement; Associate Professor of Law and Legal Research; Director, Fineman & Pappas Law Libraries, School of Law

Staff Liaisons:
Gina Ford, Project Manager, Office of the Provost

Megan Funaro, Assistant Provost for Operations

Appointment of Mark Newton as University Librarian — 6.9.23