Rhea Ballard-Thrower of the University of Illinois Chicago has been selected as the 2024 vice president and president-elect of the Association of Research Libraries. She will step into the role of president effective January 1st, 2025.
The Association of Research Libraries is a consortium of research libraries from across the United States and Canada that aims to empower library leaders and advance the field of research libraries and archives. As vice president, Dr. Ballard-Thrower will help further the goals of the non-profit organization by serving on its Executive Committee and Board of Directors.
“I am honored to be entrusted in the role of vice president for ARL as we lead the way for academic libraries’ social justice efforts with our Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility in Libraries & Archives (IDEAL) initiative and look forward to co-hosting our Sustainable Resistance and Restoration in Global Communities conference in July,” said Ballard-Thrower. “The conference is an opportunity for colleagues in librarianship to connect with one another in person to create actionable plans to affect change around the world.”
Ballard-Thrower is the University Librarian and Dean of Libraries at the University of Illinois Chicago, where she also serves as a professor for both the University Library and School of Law. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati, a master’s degree in information and library studies from the University of Michigan, and a juris doctorate from the University of Kentucky.
