David Carlson Of Southern Illinois Named Dean Of University Libraries
David H. Carlson, who currently serves as professor and dean of library affairs for the Morris Library at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) in Carbondale, Ill., has been named dean of University libraries at Texas A&M University.
Carlson’s appointment, effective July 1, 2012, was confirmed by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents during a telephonic board meeting held earlier today. Carlson was selected after an extensive search that included both national and international applicants.
Texas A&M President R. Bowen Loftin and Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Karan L. Watson jointly recommended Carlson’s appointment, citing his extensive administrative and academic experience in leading library scholarship, information sciences and collaborations that are imperative to Texas A&M’s membership in the Association of Research Libraries.
“I am very pleased to have David Carlson join our team as Dean of University Libraries,” Watson said. “His national reputation and experience will serve the libraries, our faculty and our students well.”
Carlson has served as professor and dean of library affairs at Southern Illinois since 2001. During that time he has been responsible for overall administration and operations of the Morris Library, including library support services, information services, special collections, library advancement and development. He supervised 31 tenure/tenure track faculty and numerous professional, civil servant and student employees.
The Morris Library holds almost 3 million volumes, 3.2 million microform units and some 32,000 current periodicals and serials in print and electronic formats. Like the Texas A&M University Libraries, the SIUC library is a member of the prestigious Association of Research Libraries. The SIUC and A&M libraries also share membership in the Greater Western Library Alliance.
Carlson credits his knowledge of library management and information sciences and his ability to lead diverse teams to the experience gained in previous leadership positions over the last 32 years at top university libraries, including Bridgewater State, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, University of Louisville and University of Evansville.
“The opportunity to lead an experienced team of library faculty and support the needs of the high caliber faculty and students at Texas A&M is indeed an honor. I look forward to the challenge of supporting Texas A&M’s academic priorities,” noted Carlson.
He holds the rank of professor in library affairs and has published numerous publications related to library management, information network security, library automation and library and vendor relations. He is also been a national leader in the promotion of open access policies in libraries and scholarly communication.
Carlson received his bachelor of arts degree in English from the University of Connecticut, a master of library science from the University of Michigan and a master of computer science education from the University of Evansville. He will be considered for tenure on arrival by the university tenure review process.
Charles Gilreath will continue to serve as interim dean of university libraries until Carlson’s arrival in July.
Texas A&M University Libraries encompasses five facilities plus online services in support of the research and study needs of both students and faculty across campus. According to the Association of Research Libraries, Texas A&M University Libraries ranks 8th among academic libraries in U.S. public institutions and is home to more than 4 million volumes, including more than 400,000 electronic books and serials.
Media contact: tamunews@tamu.edu.
