Robert (Jay) Malone Named Executive Director of ACRL
NISO Member News
Chicago, IL | September 3, 2021
Jay Malone, Executive Director, ACRL
CHICAGO — The American Library Association (ALA) announced today that Robert (Jay) Malone will become the new executive director of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of ALA. Malone’s first day in his new role will be Tuesday, Sept. 7.
An experienced association executive with more than three decades of success in academia and learned societies, Malone will lead the largest of ALA’s eight divisions, home to more than 9,000 individual and institutional members. Founded in 1940, ACRL is committed to advancing learning, transforming scholarship, and creating diverse and inclusive communities and develops programs, products, and services to help those working in academic and research libraries learn, innovate, and lead within the academic community.
Tracie Hall, executive director of the American Library Association, said of Malone’s hire, “The search committee was impressed by the experience in association management, higher education, and partnership development that Jay brought to the table and by his deep respect for the role that academic libraries and their staffs play in adding value to the higher education experience and bolstering student success. We look forward to the contributions he will make to ACRL and to ALA at large." Hall also took the opportunity to acknowledge Kara Malenfant’s interim leadership of ACRL prior to Malone’s appointment. “We deeply appreciate Kara’s able guidance of ACRL while we searched for its next ED and commend her for the steadying role her leadership played.”
Malone comes to ALA from the History of Science Society (HSS), where he served for 23 years. As the HSS’s first executive director, he furthered the organization’s advocacy agenda; promoted equity, diversity, and inclusion; oversaw and implemented strategic planning; created a fundraising infrastructure; served on a 22-member board; and worked with hundreds of volunteers.
He earned a B.A. in History and an M.A. and Ph.D. in the History of Science, all from the University of Florida.
“We are excited to have Jay Malone joining ACRL as the next executive director,” said Julie Garrison, ACRL president. “His long tenure in association leadership, fundraising experience, extensive knowledge of the higher education landscape, and enthusiasm for immersing himself in the critical academic library issues of our field make him the ideal candidate to lead ACRL into the future.”
Special thanks to the selection committee: Carolyn Henderson Allen, dean of the University Libraries at the University of Arkansas; Dr. Jon Cawthorne, dean of the Wayne State University Library System and School of Information Sciences and immediate past president of ACRL; Julie Garrison, dean of University Libraries at Western Michigan University and president of ACRL; Karen Munro, associate dean of learning and research services at Simon Fraser University; Lauren Pressley, associate dean for research and learning services at the University of Washington; Sylvia Norton, executive director of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of ALA; Mary Jane Petrowski, associate director of ACRL; Sanhita SinhaRoy, editor and publisher, American Libraries magazine; Lorelle Swader, associate executive director (AED), ALA Offices & Member Relations and interim AED, Human Resources & Organizational Development; and Tracie Hall, ALA executive director.
About This Organization
About ACRL
The Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) is the higher education association for academic libraries and library workers. Representing more than 9,000 individuals and libraries, ACRL (a division of the American Library Association) develops programs, products, and services to help those working in academic and research libraries learn, innovate, and lead within the academic community. Founded in 1940, ACRL is committed to advancing learning, transforming scholarship, and creating diverse and inclusive communities. Find ACRL on the web, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.