University of Maryland Names Holly Mercer Dean of University Libraries

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Jan. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Maryland has named Holly Mercer as Dean of University Libraries, effective July 1, 2025. As Dean, Mercer will lead the most extensive university library system in the Washington D.C.-Baltimore area. This encompasses seven university libraries that serve as the academic keystone supporting the university's teaching, learning and research goals. 

Mercer will provide highly collaborative and visionary leadership to the University Libraries, guiding a team of recognized leaders in the continued development of innovative, user-centered programs, services and spaces. She will partner with colleges, schools and units across campus to help drive world-class initiatives that support the university community's highest educational and research aspirations.

"University libraries at research institutions are undergoing rapid change and, at Maryland, we have been a leader in this evolution," said Jennifer King Rice, UMD's senior vice president and provost. "I believe Holly's demonstrated commitment to equitable access and scholarly excellence and collaboration will build upon the exceptional work of our libraries staff to elevate our nationally-acclaimed libraries to new levels of achievement."

Mercer will join UMD from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where she currently serves as senior associate dean and professor for UT Libraries. In this role, she oversees nine units within the libraries, is responsible for technology planning and collections strategy, plays a key role in budget and strategic planning, and serves as the libraries' grants officer. 

"The University of Maryland's commitment to scholarly excellence and innovation serves as a reminder of what universities can and should be: places to engage, explore, create and share," said Mercer. "As Dean, I look forward to building upon the University Libraries' excellent reputation and foundation to support the evolving needs of college campuses." 

Mercer has played a key role in several transformative initiatives for the UT Libraries, including a partnership with the Office of Innovative Technologies for large-scale storage of research data, and planning for a move of special collections and low-use general collections to a new Library Storage Annex. In addition, she played an integral role in launching a pilot program to help faculty working on digital projects reach the next stage of development, including pursuing external grants, and to facilitate collaboration between faculty in the College of Arts & Sciences and Library colleagues with relevant expertise. She also acquired one of UT Libraries' most distinctive collections, the archive of Knoxville-born African-American artist Beauford Delaney, and helped secure the funding to purchase the collection. 

Since her arrival in 2012, Mercer has held a variety of roles within UT Libraries overseeing research, collections and scholarly communications. She has also served as director of the Newfound Press, UT Libraries' digital library press. 

Mercer has previously held roles as head of digital services and scholarly communication at Texas A&M Libraries, and head of scholar services and associate librarian at the University of Kansas, in addition to library and archival positions with the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Pfeiffer University, the University of South Carolina, School of Law, and South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

She was recognized as an Association of Research Libraries Leadership Fellow, has served as a member of the Path to Open Community Advisory Board and ALA Association of College and Research Libraries, and served as board chair for HathiTrust. Mercer has published and presented academic papers on topics such as open access, university repositories and social networking.

Mercer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in classical studies from Duke University and a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of South Carolina. 

About the University of Maryland
The University of Maryland (UMD) is the state's flagship university and a leading public research institution, propelled by a $1.3 billion joint research enterprise. Located four miles from Washington, D.C., the university is dedicated to addressing the grand challenges of our time and is the nation's first Do Good campus. It is driven by a diverse and proudly inclusive community of more than 50,000 fearless Terrapins. UMD is a top producer of Fulbright scholars and offers an unparalleled student experience with more than 300 academic programs, 25 living-learning programs and 400 study abroad programs. Spurred by a culture of innovation and creativity, UMD faculty are global leaders in their field and include Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners and members of the national academies. For more information about the University of Maryland, visit umd.edu.

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SOURCE University of Maryland