Research Data Management Librarian Hanna Dahlstrom 

Hanna Dahlstrom brings a strong foundation in metadata standards, data organization, and digital preservation into her new role as the research data management librarian in the Research Support and Engagement department.  

Dahlstrom will lead the development and enhancement of research data management and sharing services that support the research lifecycle at West Virginia University. She will provide research and reference support for the University, monitor emerging trends in scholarly publishing to inform library services, and contribute to committees and working groups at library, university, regional, and national levels.  

Most recently, she served as committee archivist for the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, where she processed more than 20,000 born-digital congressional records and developed Python-based workflows for metadata extraction, data quality checks, and file validation. She also helped streamline electronic records transfers to the National Archives by implementing an ArchivesSpace-to-Dropbox workflow and contributed to training documentation and system transition support for archivists. 

Across her experience, she has focused on improving access to digital collections through metadata strategy, workflow design, and cross-institutional collaboration. 

Dahlstram earned her Master of Library and Information Science with a concentration in archives from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Carlow University. 

Systems and Discovery Librarian Wendi Mekins

Wendi Mekins brings more than 20 years of experience into her new role as the systems and discovery services librarian in the Systems department. 

In this role, Mekins will provide leadership for the configuration, maintenance, and ongoing enhancement of Libraries discovery and access systems in support of research, teaching, and learning across the University. She will oversee the discovery system, integrated library system, and a range of web applications and platforms that support resource discovery, content management, user engagement, analytics, and system integration. In addition, she will coordinate system workflows, lead troubleshooting efforts, monitor updates and enhancements, and communicate system changes and outages to library employees. She will evaluate user experiences and use analytics and assessment activities to improve the usability and effectiveness of the Libraries’ digital environment, while also supervising the Systems department’s student workers, including hiring, training, scheduling, and performance evaluation. 

Most recently, Mekins served as an electronic resources and collections specialist at Montgomery College Library where she worked extensively with Ex Libris Alma and related discovery tools.  

Throughout her career, Mekins has emphasized improving discovery through systems work, metadata-informed problem solving, and cross-department collaboration. Her background in reference and instructional support, including working with first-generation students and incarcerated people, has shaped an approach centered on accessibility and user needs.  

Mekins earned a Master of Library Science from Wayne State University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Metropolitan State University of Denver.