(via ACRL)
Mary Ellen K. Davis, executive director of the Association of College & Research (ACRL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has announced her retirement, effective April 24, 2020.
“It has been an honor and privilege to serve the academic and research library community through my various roles at ACRL,” Davis reflected. “I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish working together with passionate members and a dedicated staff.”
Davis has led ACRL since 2001, the longest serving executive director in ACRL’s more than 75-year history. She first came to ALA in 1984 as assistant director for the NEH-funded “Let’s Talk About it” Program, and from there held a variety of positions with increasing responsibility in ACRL, including editor and publisher of C&RL News, manager of professional development, and associate director, culminating with her appointment as executive director.
During her tenure as executive director, Davis oversaw innovations and programs that helped academic and research librarians advance learning, transform scholarship, and document their contributions to the broader campus and higher education communities. She expanded ACRL’s professional development opportunities, including transforming the ACRL Conference and developing the ACRL RoadShow program; stewarded the move to open access for ACRL’s journals; and strengthened the association’s focus on advocacy and relationships with higher education associations.
ACRL will celebrate Davis’ significant accomplishments in leading the profession at the 2020 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. Read more about Davis and her accomplishments on ACRL Insider.