Connie Vinita Dowell, a Vanderbilt University graduate with three decades of experience working in academic libraries, including two senior leadership positions, has been named dean of the Jean and Alexander Heard Library at Vanderbilt.
"We’re more than pleased that Connie will be joining us," said Associate Provost Dennis Hall, who oversaw the search process. "The entire campus community – faculty, librarians, staff, students, administrators, everyone – looks forward to welcoming her back to Vanderbilt and to working with her to chart the future of the Jean and Alexander Heard library system."
For the past nine years, Dowell has served as dean of the library and information access at San Diego State University, a public institution with 35,000 students. She has been responsible for the overall guidance and leadership of the library, which has a collection of almost two million volumes. She also managed resources of more than $12 million. She has worked closely with faculty and staff to identify and meet their needs, improve the work culture for staff and raise the library’s visibility in the San Diego community.
"We were especially impressed with Connie’s demonstrated ability for relationship building, especially with faculty and students," said Flo Wilson, deputy university librarian. Wilson co-chaired the search committee with Professor of History Marshall Eakin. "Connie also expressed a deep concern for the needs of the library staff," she said.
At San Diego State, Dowell worked to increase diversity and improve hiring and retention policies. A plan for rewarding excellence for all staff – from the student assistants to the most senior librarians – was developed and implemented. Dowell also focused on improvements to the facilities, including upgrades to technology and instructional spaces. In addition, original art and museum-quality exhibits were added.
In a school news release, San Diego State University Provost Nancy Marlin praised Dowell’s accomplishments, citing a 2006 administrative review in which the Senate Library Committee wrote, "In the time Dowell has been here, the library has been virtually transformed into a new, vibrant part of San Diego State University."
"Being asked to return to Vanderbilt in this capacity is truly a dream come true," Dowell said. "Vanderbilt’s generosity to me as a student paved the way for my entire career."
Dowell said in a January introductory letter to the search committee that she has found her work with students to be extremely rewarding. "The students became so engaged in the library’s planning goals that they voted to tax themselves, contributing a fee each semester," she said. The increased student funding enabled the library to extend hours and add valuable resources.
Dowell was employed at Connecticut College for six years, starting as college librarian in 1993 and then dean. In 1998 she became vice president for information services and librarian of the college. In that role, she reported to the president and participated in campus-wide planning and leadership activities. Connecticut’s faculty elected her to chair their academic strategic plan for the college.
Other institutions where Dowell has worked include the University of California at Santa Barbara, University of North Texas and St. Mary’s College of Maryland. One of her first library positions was as a reference assistant at the Vanderbilt Science Library from 1978 to 1979.
Dowell earned her master’s in library science from Peabody College in 1979, the same year that Peabody merged with Vanderbilt. She had received her bachelor’s degree in 1977 from Middle Tennessee State University, where she double majored in mass communications and social work.
Under Dowell’s leadership, Vanderbilt will initiate a comprehensive study of the Heard Library, with a view toward launching a major library-enhancement effort. The library has a collection of more than three million volumes and an annual budget exceeding $20 million.
Dowell is a three-time recipient of the John Cotton Dana Public Relations Award from the American Library Association’s Library Administration and Management Association. She also received the SirsiDynix-ALA-APA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Promoting Salaries and Status for Library Workers, 2006-2007.
Dowell has participated in numerous panels and made many presentations, including the Library Science Alumni Lecture at Peabody in October 2006. Her talk was titled "Libraries: Rapid Change, Enduring Values."
Dowell succeeds Paul Gherman, who retired on June 30 after 12 years at Vanderbilt. Wilson will serve as interim university librarian during the transition process, details of which are still being finalized, according to Hall.
Media Contact: Ann Marie Deer Owens, (615) 322-NEWS
annmarie.owens@vanderbilt.edu