Hillary Richardson named interim dean of library

Hillary Richardson has been announced as interim dean of Library Services at Fant Memorial Library on the campus of Mississippi University for Women, effective Jan. 2, 2025.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve a library that has invested so much in me. I look forward to continuing our work to bring people to our space, connect people to information and share the good news of Fant Library,” said Richardson.

As interim dean, Richardson will oversee Fant Memorial Library operations, including student services, faculty collaboration and electronic information resources. Additionally, she will be responsible for planning, budgeting and staffing.

Richardson has served as an associate professor and coordinator of undergraduate research and information literacy at Fant Memorial Library since 2017. While at The W, she has served as the director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, coordinator of library instruction and liaison to the Honors College, the College of Arts & Sciences and the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science (MSMS).

Richardson holds a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Southern Mississippi, where she completed her master’s project examining writing initiatives and information literacy. She also earned a Master of Arts in English from the University of Mississippi and a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in English from Millsaps College.

Her professional experience includes roles at Mississippi State University’s Mitchell Memorial Library, where she served as an assistant professor and humanities librarian, and earlier positions at the University of Mississippi and Vanderbilt University.

Richardson is succeeding Amanda Clay Powers, who has served as dean since 2016. As dean, Powers founded the Martha Jo Mims Digitization & Conservation Lab, oversaw construction of the library’s Automated Storage and Retrieval System and supervised a 43,000-square-foot renovation.