Dean of Libraries named

JOHNSON CITY (Nov. 1, 2018) – East Tennessee State University has selected David P. Atkins as dean of University Libraries.

Atkins comes to ETSU following over 20 years of service at the University of Tennessee, including his most recent role as department head and professor in Branch Libraries and Collection Logistics. Atkins has also held leadership roles in Resource Sharing and Document Delivery as well as Access and Delivery Services. His deanship at ETSU will begin Jan. 1, 2019.

Atkins is a graduate of the University of Tennessee where he earned a bachelor’s in history and political science. He obtained a master’s in library and information studies with emphases in academic libraries and archives administration from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

While at UT, he served on the UT Libraries Dean’s Cabinet, Library Management Council, Library Assessment Advisory Group, Faculty Senate, and Library Faculty Research Interest Group.

An active contributor to resource sharing and library exchanges, Atkins was awarded Tenn-Share’s Tennessee Resource Sharing Award in 2012 for his leadership in establishing Firefly, the library courier system connecting public and academic libraries across the state.

Atkins has served as a member of the American Library Association sectional committee on international interlibrary loan and was elected chair of STARS (Sharing and Transforming Access to Resources Section), serving from 2011 to 2014.

In 2014, he was named a visiting scholar for the School of Business and Economics at the University of Tasmania in Australia. Atkins also participated in exchange programs with Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda, and Southeast University, Nanjing, China.

“I am extremely pleased that David Atkins will join ETSU as dean of University Libraries,” noted Dr. Bert Bach, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “He is joining the university with a distinguished background in library administration at the University of Tennessee, with a noteworthy record of research and service, and with a reputation both for innovation and working well with people.”


Media contact
Amanda Mowell
mowella@etsu.edu
423-439-4317