I am delighted to announce that, following a thorough national search, Jeehyun Davis has been selected as American University’s next University Librarian.  Jee currently serves as Associate University Librarian for Collections and Stewardship at Villanova University’s Falvey Memorial Library—a role that oversees resource management and description, distinctive collections and digital engagement, and access services. She will join AU on July 1, 2021.

Jee has a track record of building strong partnerships and working collaboratively with colleagues to support ever-evolving methods of teaching, learning, and research.  Experienced in strategic planning and organizational review, she also demonstrates a longstanding commitment to enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.  Among many other accomplishments, Jee led the development of Villanova’s Affordable Materials Project, an initiative that focuses on equitable access to course materials and on reducing students’ textbook costs.

Earlier in her career, Jee held leadership positions in cataloging and metadata services within the University of Texas Libraries and supervised special projects in cataloging at the University of Missouri–Columbia Libraries. She holds a Master of Science in Information Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Arts in English and English Literature from Mokpo National University, South Korea. An advocate of lifelong learning, Jee also recently completed a Certificate of Graduate Study in Nonprofit Management and expects to receive her Master of Public Administration from Villanova University in May 2021. 

I would like to thank University Librarian Nancy Davenport for her service and dedication to advancing our mission over the past nine years. We look forward to honoring Nancy and to celebrating her many contributions to AU before her retirement this summer.

I am deeply grateful to the members of the search committee, led by Mary Mintz, for their exceptional work in recruiting this outstanding new leader. I have appreciated the active engagement of library faculty, staff, and student workers throughout various stages of the search process, as well.

Please join me in welcoming Jee to the AU community!