Thomas Atwood named dean of university libraries

BOWLING GREEN, O.—Bowling Green State University has chosen the director of a large medical school library who has significant experience with OhioLINK as its next dean of University Libraries, Dr. Linda Dobb, executive vice president, has announced.

Thomas Atwood, currently director of the Ocasek Medical Library at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (NEOUCOM), in Rootstown, will begin his duties at BGSU
June 29.

At NEOUCOM, Atwood oversees a budget of more than $1.5 million in operating and capital expenses. In addition to the College of Medicine library, he has responsibility for the Northeastern Ohio Cooperative Regional Depository and the library's Academic Learning Resources, and oversees the management of areas such as academic technologies and course management systems, and public, technical and media services. He is also chief medical librarian for the Oliver Ocasek Regional Medical Information Center.

"The search committee felt that Tom Atwood would be an exceptional dean for the University Libraries based on his participatory leadership style and exceptional listening skills," according to Dr. William Balzer, chair of the search committee and dean of Continuing & Extended Education at BGSU. "Tom's extensive professional experience and background in Ohio university libraries and his acknowledged leadership in the development of OhioLINK—arguably one of the nation's best systems for searching, accessing and sharing library resources across institutions—brings additional prestige and recognition to BGSU's well-recognized library staff, collections and services."

Atwood, chair of the OhioLINK Coordinated Depositories Task Force, also served on OhioLINK's Governing Board and Executive Committee in 2004-05, and has been a member of its Library Advisory Coordinating Committee Council since 2002. He has been on its Advisory Council of Deans and Directors since 1990, serving as chair in 2004-05.

A member of the Ohio Board of Regents Inter-University Council of Library Deans and Directors since 1999, he chaired that group from 2001-03.

Before his appointment at NEOUCOM, he worked at Youngstown State University from 1986-2002, ending his tenure as executive director of libraries.

He earned a master's degree in library and information science from Florida State University in 1981. He received a bachelor's degree and another master's degree, in English, from Youngstown State, in 1977 and 1980, respectively.

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(Posted April 24, 2007)