The George A. Smathers Libraries announced that Judy Russell has chosen to step down as Dean in July 2025. Dean Russell was named UF’s first Dean of University Libraries in 2007. The Libraries have flourished under her leadership, with considerable expansion of the print and digital collections, significant renovations and additional services to enhance library patrons’ access and experience. Russell will have served 18 years as the leader of the Libraries.
“It isn’t an easy decision, but I think it is the right time for me personally and for the Libraries,” said Russell, who had experience in the federal government, information industry and special libraries before coming to UF. “I have been working in libraries since the 8th grade and had an unusual professional career working in many different libraries and organizations.” She added, “Truly, this is the best job I have ever had. UF has been a fabulous place to work and it has been exciting to participate in the expansion and growth of this great university. I am very proud of the accomplishments of the library faculty and staff and their dedication to the needs of our many users.”
Prior to being named Dean, Russell was the Managing Director, Information Dissemination and Superintendent of Documents at the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO). Russell also previously served as Deputy Director of the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) and, during earlier service at GPO, as director of the Office of Electronic Information Dissemination Services and the Federal Depository Library Program.
Russell championed the use of off-campus shared collections to move 2.2M volumes of low-use print materials, retaining space on campus for highly used materials while allowing for more collaborative study space and other amenities like the Marston Makerspace. Participation in shared collections with regional and national groups makes it possible to reimagine spaces as students’ needs evolve, without losing access to material and allowed Russell to lead the expansion, renovation and modernization of the Libraries for the services and spaces that are most valuable to the students and faculty of today.
In 2022, the Libraries received a $2M grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to revitalize the Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC). This project has embraced the critical value of community collaboration and partnerships to build and sustain diverse library collections and support scholarship. Other grants include $1.8 million from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to expand the National Digital Newspaper Library and an NEH Challenge Grant that resulted in a $2 million endowment for the Price Library of Judaica.
The recently created Academic Research & Consulting Services (ARCS) department aggregated a number of very talented faculty whose expertise in fields like informatics, data science and AI is used to support faculty and student research in a wide-variety of disciplines. ARCS is an innovative way to respond to the collaborative and increasingly interdisciplinary nature of research.
Russell also prioritized the realignment of the library’s more than 70 tenured and tenure-track faculty and 180 other professional, technical and clerical staff to maximize efficiency and utility for users.
Under Russell’s leadership significant new collections were acquired, including the Gore Vidal Collection, the Bob Hope Collection, the papers of Senators Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio and a major collection of rare books on orchids, as well as photos and negatives of two famous photojournalists who covered the Cuban revolution. She has also led the integration and expansion of the Panama Canal Museum Collection and enhancement of other established collections, including the growth of the UF Digital Collections which now contain more than 450 collections covering more than 78,000 subjects in rare books, newspapers, oral histories, manuscripts, antique maps and more —and have a new user interface enhancing use of these resources.
While heading these and other advancements, Russell has served as a prominent representative of UF among academic libraries and on library policy groups, with leadership or governance roles on Florida’s Council of State University Libraries, the Members Council on Library Services and other groups. Nationally, she has served as president of the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries and as a board member of the Association for Research Libraries. At UF, she has helped to guide the University Libraries Committee, the Research and Scholarship Council and other university-wide committees or causes, including chairing the UF Community Campaign in 2014 and 2019. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Oak Hammock at the University of Florida and is currently the board chair.
Dean Russell’s proudest achievements include improving service for individuals with disabilities and improved access to library collections and spaces for all library users. She was part of the Association of Research Libraries and Canadian Association of Research Libraries joint Task Force on Marrakesh Treaty Implementation to develop recommendations and test concepts that facilitate access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print-disabled.
The University is expected to announce the search for the new dean early in March, with the goal of bringing finalists to campus in May.
Russell will take a one-year research leave, during which she will continue her work with the dLOC grant, Cuba collection and other projects.
