Doralyn Rossmann selected as new dean of Montana State University Library

BOZEMAN — Doralyn Rossmann, a longtime faculty member in the Montana State University Library who has been serving as the library’s interim dean since August 2022, has been selected as the library’s new dean after a national search. She will begin her new position Oct. 16.

“We are delighted to welcome Doralyn to this important leadership role at MSU,” said Robert Mokwa, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. “Rossmann’s innovative ideas and experience in strengthening and broadening connections between research and education through the many services offered by the MSU library, and her knack for building strong relationships with students, faculty and staff, stood out during her interview. Rossmann’s vision for a modern library that serves both the needs of an R-1, land-grant university, as well as the broader needs of the state of Montana, was inspirational and resonated highly with our campus community.”

Rossmann has worked at MSU since 2001. In addition to her current role as the library’s interim dean, Rossmann has earned the rank of professor and has served as head of the library's Collection Development department and head of the Digital Library Initiatives department.

“I'm thrilled and honored to have this opportunity to serve as the dean of the MSU Library,” Rossmann said. “Our library is doing incredible work for our community, and I'm excited to be able to plan into the future by leading in my new role."

Rossmann was one of two finalists who interviewed on campus this week. The interview process included meetings with faculty, administrators and students. Members of the public were also invited to participate in an open forum and submit comments online.

Rossmann has taught a variety of courses at MSU ranging from social media practices to public budgeting and management. Her research has resulted in numerous article and book publications about the role of social media in our information society, fiscal transparency and resource allocation, and scholarly communication and open access.

In addition, Rossmann has served on Faculty Senate and Budget Council and co-founded the DEAL program. Her professional service extends to organizations such as the Coalition for Networked Information, the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, and the National Information Standards Organization. In 2022, she was chosen to deliver a lecture as part of the Provost's Distinguished Lecturer Series. Prior to coming to MSU, she worked in libraries at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Rice University and the University of Wyoming. 

Rossmann has bachelor’s degrees in English and political science and a master's degree in library science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also has a master's degree in public administration from MSU.

Rossmann replaces Kenning Arlitsch, who served as dean from 2012 to 2022.

Mokwa expressed appreciation to members of the search committee and to its chair, Stephanie Gray, dean of Gallatin College MSU.

“We had a pool of very strong candidates, and I am grateful to Dean Gray and the members of the search committee for their dedicated efforts to engage the library staff and faculty, and the entire MSU community, in the search process,” Mokwa said.