Read about the goals of Hurst, who also serves as UMB’s associate vice provost, in the latest issue of “CATALYST” magazine.
Emily Hurst, MSLS, became dean of the Health Sciences and Human Services Library (HSHSL) and associate vice provost at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) on Feb. 1.
Hurst oversees a library that employs about 70 librarians and staff and had a circulation of more than 162,000 items in Fiscal Year 2022. The library also saw more than 140,000 visitors and reached more than 8,000 people through research consultations or library-sponsored classes during that same period. The HSHSL serves as the Regional Medical Library for Region 1, which provides programs, services, and dedicated support for Network of the National Library of Medicine members in Maryland and eight other states.
Hurst has more than 15 years of experience working in health science libraries, most recently at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), where she served as deputy director and head of the Research and Education Department for VCU Libraries, Health Sciences Library. There, she oversaw the operations of a diverse group of liaison librarians and ensured that the library met the information needs of health sciences students, faculty, and staff.
She serves as an elected member of the Medical Library Association (MLA) Board of Directors and is active in the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries and the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of MLA. She has been recognized for her achievement in health science librarianship and leadership by MLA as well as state and local library associations. In 2023, Hurst won MLA’s prestigious Estelle Brodman Award as the Academic Health Sciences Librarian of the Year.
Hurst earned her bachelor’s degree in history from the University of St. Thomas in Houston and her Master of Science in Library Science degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
CATALYST magazine talked with Hurst a few weeks after she arrived at UMB to discuss her plans for the HSHSL.
What are your goals as the dean for the HSHSL in the next six months? As the associate vice provost for UMB?
Over the next six months, my goal as the dean is to listen to the employees and staff who work in the library as well as the students, faculty, and staff who use the library to better understand the best ways to move the library forward and provide services and support for our users and our library employees. I have already begun meeting with various groups and individuals to discuss the many aspects of the library and library services. I hope to create an environment where more voices are at the decision-making table so that we can chart the future of the library together. I want to make the library an inclusive place to work as well as study, learn, and collaborate.
As an associate vice provost for UMB, I have looked closely at the core values and the strategic vision for the University. I feel there is more that I can do to connect students, faculty, and staff with the library and create innovative programs and services that will better serve our growing and diverse community. I am looking forward to making connections that lead to long-lasting partnerships and collaborations that center the library as a hub of engaging activity and research partner for the University.
Read the other questions about Dean Hurst in the latest issue of CATALYST magazine.
You can read the Spring 2024 issue of CATALYST magazine, which highlights UMB's new “Climate Change, Health, and Society” elective; innovations such as the School of Dentistry's Division of Artificial Intelligence Research; Carin Cardella, public information officer for UMB Police and Public Safety who has answered the call during state emergencies; the Francis King Carey School of Law celebrating 200 years; new Chief Philanthropy Officer Greg Bowden; Fahren Nipple, autopsy assistant for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and assistant program director for the Master of Science in Forensic Medicine at the Graduate School; and much, much more!