Bethany Nowviskie

About me

I joined JMU as Dean of Libraries and Professor of English in 2019, after a career spent in teaching, R&D, and leadership in library-based digital humanities and the nonprofit digital cultural heritage sphere. Since April 2020, I’ve also served as JMU’s Chief Academic Technology Officer for the division of Academic Affairs. It’s my privilege to help shape James Madison University’s approach to research, learning, and instructional design, and to lead the wonderful staff and faculty of the JMU Libraries, a blended organization providing both library and learning technology services.

BA (English and Archaeology), University of Virginia
MA Ed. (English Education), Wake Forest University
Ph.D. (Literature/Humanities Computing), University of Virginia

I write on liberatory, ecologically-informed, and speculative digital library design at nowviskie.org, where you can also find a brief bio and CV.

About Dean's Office

The office of the Dean of Libraries includes associate deans for the four major divisions of the JMU Libraries (AE, DATech, LID, and Admin) as well as an executive assistant and senior professional faculty leading strategic initiatives.

About Libraries Administration Unit

We support and challenge JMU Libraries’ staff and faculty to live up to our guiding statements — as we work together to provide excellent library and educational technology resources, spaces, services, and expertise to our campus community. Libraries’ Administration includes Communications and Outreach, Data Analytics, Facilities Operations, Finance and Human Resources, and the office of the Dean.