West Virginia University Libraries welcomes its very own Danielle Emerling as the Libraries’ Associate Dean of Collections.
Danielle Emerling, Associate Dean of Collections, WVU Libraries.
Previously serving as associate director of the Libraries’ West Virginia & Regional History Center, Emerling brings more than 15 years of extensive archival and collections experience from both outside and within WVU.
“Not only is Danielle’s experience as an archivist and collections steward exceptional, her knowledge of WVU, the Libraries and our general and special collections is unmatched,” Dean of WVU Libraries Karen Diaz said. “This coupled with her proven leadership and dedication to our mission uniquely positions her to drive the strategic direction of our physical and digital collections, as well as the aging, resource-intensive infrastructure—both virtual and physical—that supports them.”
Not only is Danielle’s experience as an archivist and collections steward exceptional, her knowledge of WVU, the Libraries and our general and special collections is unmatched. Karen Diaz, Dean, WVU Libraries
During her tenure at WVU Libraries, she has planned and implemented initiatives to improve management, preservation and access to collections, developing the infrastructure and support needed for these essential projects, including administering more than $2 million in grant and other funding.
As the WVRHC’s modern congressional and political papers archivist, Emerling established programs where none existed before, stewarding thousands of linear feet of materials in the collections of former Members of Congress Jay Rockefeller, Nick Rahall, Arch Moore and David McKinley, among others. As the WVRHC’s associate director, she’s advised and consulted with leadership, faculty and staff to develop strategic vision and priorities, setting policies for the History Center in service to WVU’s students, faculty, researchers and land-grant mission.
Most recently, Emerling co-led a Libraries charge to enhance discovery, preservation and access for digital special collections materials and worked interdepartmentally to plan for and implement a new digital asset management system that uses and contributes to open-source communities and library consortia. Across the profession she has led a multi-institution collaborative initiative to better preserve and provide improved access to the geographically dispersed records of the legislative branch for research and education through the American Congress Digital Archives Portal (ACDAP) project.
“I am honored to join the leadership team of WVU Libraries and oversee the critical work of stewarding our rich collections across the Morgantown campus libraries,” Emerling said. “I am excited to work with the Libraries’ talented staff and our partners to sustainably build collections, pursue innovative ways of increasing discoverability and access to our collections and advance the mission of the Libraries and WVU.”
I am honored to join the leadership team of WVU Libraries and oversee the critical work of stewarding our rich collections across the Morgantown campus libraries. Danielle Emerling, Associate Dean OF Collections, WVU Libraries
In her new role, Emerling will oversee the Knowledge Access and Resource Management (KARM) department, the West Virginia & Regional History Center, the Neal Museum of the Health Sciences and the Libraries Depository. In addition, she will continue to enhance general and special collections access and storage preservation standards for digital and physical materials, as well as provide strategic leadership for collections development and the Libraries functions and units supporting this work.
Emerling has published work on collections acquisition, management and preservation, provided instruction with special collections for many WVU courses and been an invited presenter to the U.S. Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress. She earned her Master of Library Science (MLS) and Master of Arts in History degrees from Indiana University Bloomington.