The University Library is pleased to announce that Jennifer Betts has been appointed Director of the John Hay Library and University Archivist. In this senior leadership role at the University Library, she will oversee all staff, programs, and services at the John Hay Library and serve as the chief steward of the University’s priceless assemblage of rare books, manuscripts, archives, printed matter, and other rare and unique materials.
Jennifer has led or anchored a wide range of transformative initiatives that have elevated the visibility and impact of the John Hay Library as a leading center for special collections research and instruction. These include a strategy to identify and build upon the Hay’s distinctive collection strengths, major renovations to improve the quality and academic utility of the Hay building’s spaces, the groundbreaking exhibit “Mumia Abu-Jamal: A Portrait of Mass Incarceration,” and external funding totaling nearly $2 million from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the Arcadia Fund, the Council on Library and Information Resources, and the National Endowment for the Humanities to increase digital access to Hay materials.
Jennifer is well known to many on campus. As University Archivist, Jennifer has spearheaded the acquisition of the papers of noted faculty and historically significant campus units such as Rites and Reason Theatre, LGBTQ Center, Brown Students of Color, U-FLi Center, and the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage. She has also provided extensive support for the Corporation office, the President’s Office, the Office of the General Counsel, and University Advancement, and collaborative partnership on a wide range of campus projects.
Jennifer holds undergraduate and MLS degrees from the University at Albany. She first came to Brown in 2003 for an internship as part of her degree program. In 2008, she was selected as the project director for the two-year National Endowment for the Humanities grant that established Rhode Island Archival and Manuscript Collections Online (RIAMCO), a statewide database of archival collections. In 2010, she was appointed University Archivist. The growth of her leadership at the Hay was recognized by promotion to Assistant Director in 2016 and Associate Director in 2024. As Director, Jennifer will lead the John Hay Library forward to be an ever more vital part of Brown’s academic mission and distinction as a research university.
