The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is pleased to welcome Andrew K. Pace as its next executive director, effective February 1, 2024.
Andrew joins ARL from the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI) Library Consortium, where he has served as executive director since 2022. At USMAI, Andrew leads the consortium of 17 academic libraries across the state of Maryland, centrally hosting management, discovery, and resource-sharing applications for millions of print, licensed, and open-access resources. His team also leads new digital initiatives in digital asset management, open educational resources (OER), and new service development.
Andrew held previous executive director positions from 2008 to 2022 at OCLC, where he managed cloud-based application development and later led teams focused on data science and applied research. Prior to OCLC, he was head of Information Technology at North Carolina State University Libraries.
“I’m thrilled to be joining ARL in its commitment to advocacy, analysis, and leadership in research libraries,” said Andrew K. Pace, incoming ARL executive director. “In the face of the numerous challenges in libraries, I am impressed by a sense of optimism and opportunity displayed by the Board and ARL’s staff, and I’m grateful and humbled to be part of an organization with such a deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
Andrew has dedicated his career to supporting the scholarly record and advancing knowledge. He has collaborated with a host of library, governmental, and institutional organizations across the globe whose mutual support ensures the success of our shared endeavors. He will bring to ARL a robust professional network through his active engagement and experience.
“We know that Andrew’s skills of successfully launching new businesses and managing research and development as well as operations will be assets to ARL,” added Susan Parker, university librarian at The University of British Columbia and the 2023 president of the Association.
Andrew is active in the American Library Association (ALA) and was elected to the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) Board of Directors in 2023. He has presented at numerous conferences and is the author of several works dealing with library technology, product and project management, and community building.
“Andrew brings a breadth of experience from the research library, corporate, not-for-profit, and academic library consortia sectors,” said Trevor A. Dawes, vice provost for libraries and museums and May Morris Librarian at the University of Delaware and the 2024 president of ARL. “His affinity for the work we do at ARL, combined with his business and financial acumen, will bring stability and a forward-thinking vision to the Association.”
Andrew succeeds Mary Lee Kennedy, who has served as ARL’s executive director since 2018. The ARL Board and staff are all grateful to Mary Lee for her service to the Association and its members. The Board and staff look forward to working with Andrew.
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.
