Interim Dean Announcement for the Meriam Library

July 2, 2024
Dr. Leslie Cornick, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

I’m pleased to share this update about leadership for the Meriam Library. Bradford Eden, an esteemed scholar and librarian, has agreed to serve as interim dean beginning on August 1.

As I have said previously, we have significant work ahead as we evaluate how the library and other units within Academic Affairs are supported. Given the need for immediate interim leadership, we worked with an agency to secure a temporary placement to ensure the library remains a vital hub that supports student learning during the 2024–25 academic year. I’m excited by the wealth of experience Eden brings to this role and confident his leadership will bring continuity and vision as we move forward.

He served as dean of Library Services at Valparaiso University from 2011 to 2018, as well as director of scholarly connections at Drexel University from 2020 to 2023. His previous roles include associate university librarian for Technical Services and Scholarly Communication at UC Santa Barbara from 2007 to 2011 and head of two separate areas at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas from 1999 to 2006. He also has extensive consulting experience, including assisting our campus with a technical services reorganization in 2009.

Eden serves as editor for the Journal of Tolkien Research, associate editor for The Journal of Film Music and LIBRES, and sits on the editorial boards of several journals, including Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design, Library Hi Tech, and the Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences.

Eden is an active member of the American Library Association, the Association of College and Research Libraries, the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services, the Library and Information Technology Association, and the Library Leadership and Management Association. He holds a PhD in musicology from the University of Kansas, a master’s degree in library science from the University of North Texas, a master’s in musicology from Indiana State University, and a bachelor’s in religion and music from Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Please join me in welcoming him. I am confident that his expertise will ensure smooth operations for our librarians, library staff, and patrons.