University of Michigan has poached University of Virginia's chief information officer to become the Ann Arbor school's dean of libraries.
James Hilton
U-Va. photo
Upon approval of U-M's eight-member Board of Regents, James L. Hilton will replace Paul Courant on September 1, 2013.
Hilton is a former U-M professor and administrator. He began teaching at the Institute for Social Research in 1985, after he received his doctorate from Princeton University.
At U-M he worked his way up to being appointed an Arthur F. Thurnau Professorship and serving as an associate provost for academic, information and instructional technology affairs. He was also interim university librarian.
In 2006 he went to the U-Va. to become the school's chief information officer.
He is an advocate for using technology in teaching and is working on developing the Digital Preservation Network, an archival backbone designed to catch and preserve discoveries for future. He's also a supporter of large-scale preservation and access initiatives such as Hathi Trust.
"As dean of libraries and university librarian, his vision and leadership will be essential to address the changing nature of information acquisition and knowledge dissemination," U-M Provost Martha Pollack wrote in a memo to regents, who are expected to approve Hilton's appointment at a Thursday meeting.
Kellie Woodhouse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at kelliewoodhouse@annarbor.com or 734-623-4602 and follow her on twitter.