In a move that reflects the increasingly close relationship between digital technologies and research libraries, Rich Mendola has been appointed to the new position of enterprise chief information officer and senior vice provost of library services and digital scholarship at Emory University.   

Mendola currently serves as vice president of information technology and CIO at Emory and has been interim vice provost and director of the libraries since June 2012, when Rick Luce was named dean of the University of Oklahoma Libraries.  

Mendola was named after the search committee, chaired by Michael Elliott, senior associate dean for faculty in Emory College of Arts and Sciences, had "intensive conversations with leaders in the library and information sciences world and determined that a new type of position was called for," according to former Emory Provost Earl Lewis, who initiated the search.  

"Rich brings a reputation of a deep commitment to the academic enterprise, superb administrative and managerial skills, visionary leadership abilities and an intense desire to enhance the library’s place as the institutional academic commons," says Emory Provost Designate Claire Sterk. "Under his interim guidance, we have made tremendous progress, and I am confident that with this appointment we will assemble a team that will continue the momentum that has characterized the library for the last decade.”  

As vice president of information technology and CIO at Emory since 2005, Mendola has been responsible for all information technology activities across Emory and Emory Healthcare. Over the past seven years, Mendola and his team have led significant enhancements to Emory's academic, research and clinical systems.  

In addition, new enterprise functions are now in place for information security, IT architecture and support for research. Building on this foundation, an increasing proportion of resources is being targeted at innovative applications and process improvements to support excellence in Emory's core missions.  

"It is an incredible honor to be given the opportunity to lead both Emory’s IT and library functions," says Mendola. "I see many possible synergies on the digital front, and at the same time have a keen appreciation of the value that is derived from the library’s physical assets, including the centrality of Emory's Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library in our future, and the importance of the library as the academic commons of the university. I look forward to working with Emory’s leadership team and my faculty colleagues on aligning the library’s strategic direction with Emory’s aspirations."  

Mendola began his academic career as a faculty member in the health sciences at the University of Connecticut’s Health Science Center. Since then, he has served in a variety of academic and administrative roles at the University of Connecticut and the University of Illinois, before joining Emory in 2005.  

He holds a B.S., summa cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh, master's and Ph.D. degrees in clinical psychology, and an MBA from the University of Connecticut.