Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies News

McNeil to step down as Dean of Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies, effective January 2025

December 20th, 2024

Effective January 2025, Dr. Beth McNeil is stepping away from her position as dean of Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies. She will begin a sabbatical and return in January 2026 to Libraries faculty. 

Beth’s tenure

Beth has served as dean of Purdue Libraries for 5 ½ years. She first came to Purdue Libraries in 2007, serving as associate dean for information resources and scholarly communication, and became associate dean for academic affairs in 2009. She remained at Purdue for eight years, leaving in 2015 to become dean of library services and professor at Iowa State University in 2015. In 2019, Beth returned as dean of Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies and Esther Ellis Norton Professor of Library Science.. 

Throughout her tenure, Beth has led the Libraries to many accomplishments, including the launch of the 2022-2025 strategic plan, the formation of the new Information Studies minor, expanding Open Access opportunities for Purdue faculty and researchers, and the renovations in campus libraries. Her commitment to Purdue students will remain evident in library spaces that provide them with flexible study spaces, and the ongoing development of a curriculum to meet their academic needs.  

Beth’s impact extended beyond Purdue’s campus; she served on the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) Steering Committee (2020–22) and remains a member of the Academic Libraries of Indiana (ALI) board. She is a past board member of the HathiTrust, the Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA), Western Regional Storage Trust (WEST), the Rosemont Shared Print Alliance, and served as chair of the 2021 ACRL National Conference, “Ascending into an Open Future.” She serves on several BTAA Center for Library Programs committees, including as vice chair for the Executive Committee during 2024. She was elected to the Midwest Center for Library Services (MCLS) board in 2024. Additionally, Beth served as president-elect (July 2022–23), and president (July 2023–24), and is serving now as past president (2024-2025) of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). 

Joanne Troutner, chair of the Purdue Libraries Dean’s Advisory Council, reflects, “I have had the privilege of witnessing Dean McNeil’s steadfast support for staff and her ability to highlight the remarkable projects and achievements of the Purdue Libraries team. She has successfully steered the Information Studies minor through the rigorous approval process, further broadening academic opportunities for Purdue students. It has been both an honor and a pleasure to work alongside Beth and her vision, professionalism, and dedication.”

During her sabbatical, Beth plans to work on editing a book on library leadership from a global perspective and write a 4^th edition of “Fundamentals of Library Supervision,”  

Interim leadership

Vice provost for faculty affairs Sunil Prabhakar will serve as interim leader of Purdue Libraries. Professor Prabhakar served as head of the Department of Computer Science during its time as a Purdue Move and was the inaugural director of Purdue’s Integrative Data Science Initiative (2019–20). Sunil’s interests and expertise in data, data science, and data literacy proved indispensable in his prior service on the search advisory committee that brought Dean McNeil back to Purdue.

The search for a new leader will commence in due course, and we appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate this transition.