Approaching his 4th year as the Dean of Libraries at the University of Arkansas, Jason Battles has overseen tremendous collection growth, led the planning and overseen the design and construction of Phase 2 of the Mullins Library Renewal Project. This transformational renovation has introduced multiple technology spaces and associated programming into the main campus library while highlighting unique collections and providing new student space. These efforts coincided with rebuilding the organization of 120 FTE with more than a dozen new faculty hires in the last 20 months. Jason has been a successful fundraiser for the University of Arkansas Libraries making possible these collection and facilities initiatives.
Before coming to the University of Arkansas, Dean Battles served as Deputy University Librarian at the University of Georgia where he worked on more than half a dozen renovation projects within multiple library facilities including a Carnegie Library restoration, office spaces for different functional groups, cafe, public and student spaces. He has more than 20 years of experience working in academic libraries. A native Alabamian, he has worked his entire library career in schools across the Southeastern Conference, but also has previous government and private industry experience in software and technology. Battles hold a master’s degree in history as well as a master’s of library science from the University of Alabama.