“The IU Libraries, and academic libraries in general, have changed a great deal over the past 27 years, and I have found responding to that change both challenging and rewarding,” Walters said. “The many positions I have served in over the years have given me the opportunity to contribute to creating a library that actively, and I think successfully, provides the resources, staff expertise and physical spaces needed to support the research and teaching mission of Indiana ?University.”
Walters has held the position of executive associate dean of IU Libraries since 2005, and in 2012 became the founding executive director of the Office of Scholarly Publishing.
“I’ve worked with her in a lot of different contexts on a lot of different projects. It’s always a pleasure,” said Jason Jackson, director of Mathers Museum of World Cultures. “She has the kind of personal disposition or interactional style that makes complicated group work fun as well as successful.”
Jackson has worked with Walters directly on the development of the Office of Scholarly Publishing. He served as member of the faculty advising committee for the new office.
Jackson said Walters is a great partner.
“She’s incredibly effective in her work in terms of knowing what she’s doing and also as a leader,” he said.
IU Vice President for IT and CIO Brad Wheeler said Walters’ appointment to dean is great for IU ?Bloomington.
“She is an excellent collaborator to get things done for students,” Wheeler said.
During her time with IU Libraries, Walters has led many projects for the advancement of libraries and accessible information.
She worked with the University Information Technology Services to create the Information Commons, setting a precedent for libraries across the ?nation.
Now known as the Learning Commons, it provides students with a place for individual and group study with innovative technology readily available to them.
Jackson said Walters has a real vision for how IU Libraries fit into the campus and the world.
“These days, libraries and higher education in general are changing a lot,” he said. “It takes leaders with vision to figure out where to go and what it all means in the context of change.”
Although Walters acts as a quintessential leader, Director of Communications for IU Libraries Becky Wood said her emphasis is not on herself.
“Dean Walters always emphasizes that the real story is not about her but about the IU Libraries,” she said. “She brings a spirit of partnership, collaboration and vision to this position that has grown over the course of her 27-year career with the IU Libraries.”
Walters said IU Libraries has plans in place to renovate the Media and Reserves space on the ground floor of Herman B Wells Library into the Moving Image Archive later this spring.
This space will provide an area for the study, viewing and preservation of film and other media.
Walters said partnerships are of critical importance to the libraries, and plans to keep current partnerships and expand toward new partnerships if necessary.
With more changes on the horizon for IU Libraries, Jackson looks forward to having Walters’ inside perspective.
“What we’re really fortunate to have, in this case, is someone who really knows IU,” he said, “who’s been totally involved in understanding where these plans are coming from and where they’re going is now going to be the dean of the library.”
