01/23/2025
By Julie Nash
I am writing to share the news that Allison Estell, Dean of the University Library, will be leaving the university effective Feb. 7. Over the past three and a half years, Allison has guided the library through a period of significant transition. Her leadership and vision have positioned the library for continued growth and success.
During her time here, Allison built a talented and dedicated team, growing the library staff from 12 to 30 employees, including 12 new full-time hires. Under her leadership, the library became the largest campus employer of student workers, offering meaningful work experiences, high-quality training, internships and career development opportunities.
The library also expanded its collections to better meet the needs of the campus community, including the launch of the popular recreational reading collection, "Book Love." At the same time, Allison worked to align the library’s collections more closely with academic disciplines while maximizing resources through collaborations with the Boston Library Consortium and the UMass system.
Allison significantly strengthened the library’s community partnerships, securing grants and leading engagement efforts on projects with the Hellenic, Latinx and Franco-American communities. She also revitalized information literacy programs, enhanced research support services and spearheaded the development of a Master Space Plan to improve library spaces.
We will begin a search for a new dean of the University Library in the coming weeks and are committed to finding a leader who can build on the strong foundation Allison and her team have established. Our goal is to have a new dean in place by summer. In the interim, the current library leadership team will continue to serve the campus community and will report directly to me.
Please join me in thanking Allison for her exceptional service and wishing her all the best in her next chapter.