A former professor of library studies is returning to Rutgers as assistant chancellor and director of the John Cotton Dana Library at Rutgers University in Newark. The appointment of Mark Winston was jointly announced by Steven J. Diner, chancellor of Rutgers University in Newark, and University Librarian Marianne Gaunt, of the Rutgers University Libraries. His appointment is effective Sept. 1.

Winston’s responsibilities will include management and development for the Dana Library and the Institute of Jazz Studies, with a combined budget of $2.7 million and a staff of 38. As Assistant Chancellor, he will also be responsible for campus-wide academic initiatives, including the development of instructional activities that take full educational advantage of the unique diversity of Rutgers-Newark, and the strengthening of the campus’s engagement with its urban community in teaching and research.

The Dana Library, the third-largest in the Rutgers University library system, supports more than 3,580 graduate and 6,500 undergraduate students on the Newark campus of the University, the nation’s most diverse national university campus. The library has major strengths in business, management, and nursing, and hosts the foremost jazz archival collection under university auspices in the world, the Institute of Jazz Studies. The Dana Digital Media Lab serves as the site for building a comprehensive digital library in jazz, and Dana’s annual books arts symposium attracts librarians and book artists throughout the region.

Winston had been associate professor in the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill since 2006, and prior to that, taught for seven years at the Rutgers School of Communication, Information and Library Studies on the New Brunswick campus. Since 1997, Winston also has been a consultant and trainer in management, diversity and leadership. He is author or editor of three books and has published numerous articles in refeered journals and other publications, many addressing equity, multiculturalism and diversity issues in library studies, information services and teaching.

“We are delighted that Mark Winston is returning to the University in this important position with the Libraries. He brings a unique perspective to the challenges and opportunities facing academic libraries from his research and scholarship and his broad experience in academe. We look forward to his joining the talented team of librarians and staff at the Dana Library,” stated Gaunt.

“Mark Winston’s expertise in information and library science, combined with his background in incorporating multiculturalism and diversity into library management and the teaching of library studies, makes him a perfect fit for our diverse urban campus,” stated Diner.

Winston also was an assistant university librarian and assistant professor at Valdosta State University Library, Valdosta, GA., from 1996-1998. Earlier in his career he was a Visiting Program Officer for the Association of Research Libraries, Washington, D.C., and the business and undergraduates services librarian and coordinator of library instruction at the University of Arizona, Tucson.

“It is with genuine enthusiasm that I accept the position of Assistant Chancellor and Director of the John Cotton Dana Library,” stated Winston. “I am doubly excited about the opportunity to bring all aspects of my professional background to one of higher education's most impressive library organizations. I look forward to returning to Rutgers to work with such an impressive group of library and teaching faculty, administrators, and staff members.”

Winston earned his undergraduate degree in business management from Hampton University in Virginia, graduating summa cum laude. He received both his master’s of library science and his Ph.D. in library and information science from the University of Pittsburgh, where he was a doctoral fellow and teaching assistant.

Winston is a sought-after presenter at professional conferences, and the recipient of numerous grants and awards, including the National Award for Achievement in Library Diversity Research from the American Library Association, the Rutgers University President’s Research in Service to New Jersey Award, and a Rutgers University Library and Information Science Departmental award for Service.

He is a member of the Association for Library and Information Science Education, the American Library Association, the Association of College and Research Libraries, and the Library Administration and Management Association.

Winston succeeds Lynn Mullins, who retired after 20 years as Dana Library director. Ka-Neng Au, who had been acting director in the interim, will return to his duties as business librarian at Dana.

For more information, please contact Carla Capizzi, 973/353-5262, or email: capizzi@rutgers.edu.