Daniel P. O’Mahony, formerly Director of Library Planning and Assessment, has been named Associate University Librarian for Resource Strategy at the Brown University Library.
As AUL for Resource Strategy, Dan will be part of the Library’s senior executive team, and he will assume oversight for cross-departmental and cross-functional coordination of academic and budgetary strategy. In this capacity, he will work to improve decision-making and workflows by bringing a more intensively data-informed approach to maximizing the value of collection funding for teaching and research at Brown. Dan will continue to direct the Library’s wider planning and assessment functions.
Dan has an outstanding track record of accomplishments at the Library over more than 32 years as both a librarian and library administrator. Dan joined the Library in 1992 as the Government Documents Coordinator, overseeing the Library’s extensive interdisciplinary collection of United States, Rhode Island, and United Nations documents. In that role, he integrated access to both traditional and digital resources and facilitated the transition to a more electronic research environment.
As a nationally recognized expert in the area of government information, Dan testified twice before the United States Congress on matters regarding public access to government information. He was appointed three times to the national advisory council to the U.S. Government Publishing Office, and for many years taught a graduate course on government information at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Library and Information Studies. During his time at Brown, Dan’s direct contributions to research have been recognized in over 40 co-author credits on faculty publications.
Since 2003, Dan has worked in various administrative roles, directly overseeing or deeply involved in nearly all aspects of library operations and services. As Director of Planning and Assessment for the last 15 years, Dan has been critical to the Library’s success in advancing data gathering and analysis practices that have resulted in continuous improvement in resources, programs, and services to meet the needs of students, faculty, and staff. He is an expert at gathering both quantitative and qualitative data to inform management decisions ranging from staff morale and satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic to student surveys and focus groups, addressing overcrowding in the stacks, and strengthening workplace culture and climate. Dan already plays a vital role in strategy and budget development with the University Librarian and Deputy University Librarian.
A highly capable and experienced staff member, Dan has been a key contributor to much of the Library’s success, and we are excited that he is taking on the broader leadership responsibilities of the AUL for Resource Strategy role.