New Dean Brings 40 Years of Expertise to University Libraries

Arthur comes to Ole Miss from the University of Alabama, where the tenured professor served as senior associate dean and associate dean for special collections. He brings nearly 40 years of experience in multiple dimensions of library work, from archives and special collections to acquisition and discovery.

"In academic libraries, whether it's behind the scenes or out in front, I feel strongly that the library plays an important role in the teaching and research mission of a university," Arthur said. "I take a lot of pride in the fact that every day we're doing something that contributes to student success and to the research and teaching of our faculty.

"I've always felt that the work we're doing every day matters, and that's the work I want to continue to do at Ole Miss."

Beginning Nov. 2, Arthur will oversee the J.D. Williams Library and its Department of Archives and Special Collections, as well as the Science Library housed in the National Center for Natural Products Research.

"I am pleased that Michael Arthur has agreed to lead our University Libraries," Provost Noel Wilkin said. "He brings a wealth of experience as to how libraries support the educational and research missions of an R-1 institution.

"I am confident he will work productively and collaboratively with our campus community to advance our university libraries."

Research libraries like those at Ole Miss play a crucial role in supporting not only students, but faculty and researchers on a university campus, Arthur said.

"As the academic environment continues to change, research libraries are becoming more and more engaged in the research landscape," he said. "It used to be the libraries were mostly focused on storing content at the end of research, but more and more we're engaged with the entire research life cycle from the beginning.

"That's what I want to emphasize: raising the profile of the university libraries, continuing the growth of the previous dean and working with the staff to make sure the libraries continue to be places where students, faculty and anyone else who needs us receive the highest quality interaction with what we have to offer."

Arthur's career has included leadership roles at several major research universities, along with more than 50 regional and national conference presentations and more than 30 peer- or editor-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings.

The Association of Southeastern Research Libraries recognized him in 2026 with an Extraordinary Leadership Award and the University of Central Florida presented him its 2015 Excellence in Librarianship award.

"The Friends of the Library welcomes Dean Arthur to campus to lead our historic libraries," said Stephen Monroe, chair of the Department of Writing and Rhetoric and president of Friends of the Library, a volunteer organization that supports campus libraries. "His distinguished career will continue here in Oxford, and we look forward to supporting him, alongside UM's other outstanding librarians."

In a visit earlier this year, Arthur and his wife, Amy, immediately felt a connection to the Ole Miss community.

"It felt like the right opportunity at the right time and in the right place," he said. "I'm someone who really loves what I do, and I'm really excited to become a part of the Ole Miss community and do what I love.

"When we visited Oxford, it just felt like home."

Top: Michael Arthur, a 40-year veteran of academic libraries across the Southeast, is the university's new dean of libraries. He comes to Ole Miss from the University of Alabama, where he was senior associate dean and associate dean for special collections. Submitted photo