FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
IMLS Press Contact
Giuliana Bullard
202-653-4799
gbullard@imls.gov
IMLS Director Dr. Kathryn K. Matthew Announces Key Appointment to Agency’s Leadership Team
Robin Dale brings a wealth of experience to benefit the IMLS mission and library services nationwide
Washington, D.C.—Today, the Institute of Museum and Library Services Director Dr. Kathryn K. Matthew announced that Robin Dale will serve as the agency’s new Deputy Director, Office of Library Services.
“I am so pleased to have Robin join our leadership team,” said Matthew. “After a national search, it became clear that Robin is ‘the right person at the right time’ in the agency's evolution.”
For the last three years, Dale has served as Associate Deputy Director of Library Services and, most recently, as Acting Deputy Director of Library Services at IMLS. A significant part of her work has been managing the agency’s Grants-to-States program, the largest source of federal funding support for library services in the U.S. Each year, more than $150 million is distributed among the State Library Administrative Agencies every year to support valuable library services across the nation.
Dale’s work also included co-managing IMLS’s discretionary grant programs, including the National Leadership Grants for Libraries, the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian and Native American-Native Hawaiian grant programs.
“At IMLS, she has also helped shape our cross-agency initiatives focusing on veterans and military families, digital literacy, and community capacity building,” said Matthew. “Her broad work experiences span the academic, preservation, and digital arenas, and will be an asset in helping us better serve the library community.”
Prior to coming to IMLS, Dale was Senior Director for Digital Services at LYRASIS, the Associate University Librarian for Collections and Library Information Systems at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a long-time program manager at the Research Libraries Group, managing collaborative programmatic activities related to digital preservation, digitization, and preservation for its international membership.
Additionally, she taught library and information science courses for seven years as an adjunct faculty member of San Jose State University School of Library and Information Science.
Since 1993, Dale’s work has focused on managing strategic initiatives for libraries, including library technologies, digital inclusion, data collections and impact measurement, library collections, and standards and best practice building activities related to creation, description, and curation of digital and analog collections.
About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is celebrating its 20th Anniversary. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s approximately 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. Our mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. Our grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.