Gale S. Etschmaier
Florida State University has named Gale S. Etschmaier as dean of University Libraries, effective Sept. 7.
Etschmaier has served as the dean of library and information access at San Diego State University since 2011.
“Florida State is pleased to welcome Gale Etschmaier as our next dean of libraries,” said Sally McRorie, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “Our extensive library operations are critical to student and faculty success at every level and in every program. Dean Etschmaier’s proven record of innovative leadership will help keep our academic progress toward the Top 25 on track.”
Etschmaier succeeds Julia Zimmerman, who concluded her 11-year tenure as dean June 30.
As dean, Etschmaier will be responsible for the visionary leadership and overall administration of University Libraries, including oversight of nearly 140 employees and an annual operating budget of more than $18 million. The university’s collections total more than 3 million volumes, with a website offering access to nearly 900 databases, 86,500 e-journals and more than a million e-books.
“I’m excited to join the University Libraries and participate in achieving the university’s strategic goals,” Etschmaier said. “Florida State University’s libraries have attained a record of distinction, and I welcome the opportunity to work with an exceptional group of faculty and staff to build on the existing excellence and chart a course for the libraries in the digital age.”
At San Diego State, Etschmaier provided leadership for the library and the university’s student computer hub with more than 700 computers. She oversaw 80 faculty and staff, 100 student assistants and a budget of approximately $12 million.
Prior to her tenure at San Diego State, Etschmaier spent a decade as associate university librarian for public service at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. During that time, she held interim appointments as the acting associate university librarian for collection development and acting associate university librarian for library information technology. Etschmaier also served as head of George Washington’s Document Delivery Services Department from 1995-2000.
Etschmaier earned a Bachelor of Arts in music from State University of New York Stony Brook and a Master of Library Science from SUNY Albany. She received a doctoral degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania in 2010.
Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates conducted the national search, and College of Arts and Sciences Dean Sam Huckaba chaired the 13-member search committee.
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area.
He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit.
Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.
