Emily McElroy has been named dean of the McGoogan Library of Medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, effective Jan. 1.
Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., said that McElroy already has been part of the leadership team for some time, and the change in title is an acknowledgement of the key role she plays on campus.
"UNMC has traditionally not used the dean title," Dr. Gold said. "However, Emily's job description, scope of activities (including supervision of faculty involved in scholarly work and teaching, management of staff in different divisions and fundraising activities) are similar to, and in some cases more complex than, other academic health science campuses. This change brings Emily's title to be commensurate with other nationally regarded campuses."
The McGoogan Library of Medicine, as one of the nation’s major health science libraries, serves the information needs of UNMC students, faculty, and staff, as well as licensed Nebraska health professionals and residents of the state. The library provides timely access to high quality collections of print and electronic materials, develops applications of information technology, promotes the development of information management skills that support lifelong learning, and promotes networking and the integration of information.
McElroy said she sees the title change as an acknowledgement of the importance of the library, and its faculty and staff, to UNMC.
"We serve the clinical, research and educational sides," she said. "We have faculty on curriculum committees; we've long been represented in Faculty Senate. This will give some clarity to the organizational structure for our faculty. And our faculty and staff are proud that there is a new level of recognition for the library and the role we play."
McElroy also has been a driving force behind the University of Nebraska Consortium of Libraries, which has served as a model of how units across the different NU campuses can work together.
"Besides the outstanding leadership Emily McElroy has provided to the UNMC McGoogan Library of Medicine, she has been key partner in the success of the University of Nebraska Consortium of Libraries," said Susan Fritz, Ph.D., past interim president of the University of Nebraska. "This consortium maximizes access to library materials for NU students, faculty and staff while holding down costs by leveraging their collective buying power."
McElroy joined UNMC in December 2013. Prior to coming to UNMC, McElroy served for six years as associate university librarian for content management and systems at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU). Prior to OHSU, McElroy was head of library acquisitions at New York University. She also has held positions at the University of Oregon and Loyola University's Health Sciences Library.
McElroy graduated from DePaul University with a B.S. in history and from Dominican University Graduate School of Library and Information Science in Illinois with a master's degree in library and information science in 1999. She is a nationally recognized speaker on the management of library resources. An active member of many professional organizations, McElroy has served on advisory boards for major publishers.
"I am honored to be the inaugural dean of the library," McElroy said. "Certainly all of my predecessors set the foundation for this title change."
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