contact us
search
Griffiths brings policy, research, administrative expertise as new School of Information and Library Science dean
Aug. 19, 2004 — Dr. José-Marie Griffiths, an internationally acclaimed policy expert, researcher and university administrator, has been named dean of the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The appointment, approved by the UNC Board of Trustees , takes effect Monday (Aug. 23).
"José-Marie Griffiths brings to Carolina a wealth of experience and knowledge as a leader and scholar in information and library science and American higher education," said Chancellor James Moeser. "Her stellar qualifications make her a fitting choice to guide our nationally recognized School of Information and Library Science. I have confidence in her efforts to lead our school to an even greater level of excellence on behalf of the people of North Carolina, the nation and the world."
The School of Information and Library Science is home to about 280 graduate students, 50 doctoral students, 65 undergraduates and 22 full-time faculty members. The school prepares students for diverse forms of information work with libraries, archives and computer information systems and networks. The school offers master's of science degrees in information science and library science, a doctor of philosophy in information and library science, an undergraduate major in information science, an undergraduate minor in information systems and a certificate of advanced study.
Griffiths will come to Carolina from the University of Pittsburgh, where she has served as professor and held the Doreen E. Boyce Chair in Library and Information Science, the university's first endowed chair in information science, since 2001. She was also an associate with the Learning Research and Development Center and the first director of the university's Sara Fine Institute for Interpersonal Behavior and Technology. Under her leadership, the institute received external funding for several major research projects and has taken the lead in developing new academic programs in instructional technologies as well as leadership and management.
"I am delighted to be joining the distinguished faculty, researchers, leadership and students of UNC," Griffiths said. "I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to build on the accomplishments of the school and work with faculty not only to retain UNC's position among the elite of information science and library schools, but to have us be the school that defines and shapes the cutting edge of education, research and service in our field."
An internationally recognized researcher and scholar in information and library science, Griffiths has had two presidential appointments, one to the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (1996-2002) and the other to the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee (2003-present). Her numerous federal, state and local government appointments include projects or positions with the National Academy of Sciences, the National Research Council, the National Science Foundation, the Internal Revenue Service, the National Institutes of Health and the United States Departments of Defense, Education, Energy and Labor.
Griffiths has led or participated in information and library science projects in more than 35 countries, including work with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Kingdom's National Health Service, the International Development Research Council and The British Library. She has also worked extensively with the corporate community on information and library science issues including IBM, Apple, Dupont, Ameritech and AT&T Bell Labs.
Her research focuses on the design, analysis, integration and economics of systems to create effective and valuable information exchange between people, recorded knowledge and technology. Griffiths' work also covers information retrieval, information system and service evaluation, economics of information, information technology use in higher education, scientific and technical communication, diffusion of information and information and library science education. She has received three awards from the American Society for Information Science and Technology in recognition of her significant contributions to the field.
Before her appointment at Pittsburgh, Griffiths was university chief information officer and professor of information science at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (1996-2001). She led efforts to develop and implement strategic information technology plans for the university that included partnerships with the private sector.
At Michigan, Griffiths also was executive director of the Information Technology Division and of Information Technology Central Services. She was founding director of the Collaboratory for Advanced Research and Academic Technologies, which brought together faculty and staff from a variety of disciplines to work on advanced technology applications. She was named one of the Top 25 Women on the Web in 1999 by San Francisco Women on the Web and an Outstanding Leader by the university in 2000.
Griffiths has also served at the University of Tennessee as director of the School of Information Sciences (1992-1996) and Center for Information Studies (1990-1995). She led efforts to restructure the master's degree curricula, developed distance education programs in three states and created a joint doctoral degree program with communications. In 1995, the university named her an Outstanding Faculty Member and her research was recognized by the Special Libraries Association. Griffiths also spent a decade as vice president of information systems planning, design and development for King Research Inc. in Rockville, Md.
A native of London, England, Griffiths received a bachelor's degree in physics in 1973 and a Ph.D. in information science in 1977 from University College London. She has taught graduate classes at several British and U.S. universities on topics including leadership, organization development, information technology integration and digital libraries.
Griffiths succeeds former Dean Joanne Gard Marshall, who resigned June 30 and will return to the faculty as an alumni distinguished professor. Dr. Paul Solomon, associate professor and associate dean in the school, has served as interim dean.