Joseph Salem, Ph.D.

Joseph A. Salem, Jr., is the Rita DiGiallonardo Holloway University Librarian and the Vice Provost for Library Affairs.

He is responsible for the leadership and overall management of the Duke University Libraries system, one of the nation’s top ten private research libraries, comprised of six libraries and a state-of-the-art, high-density repository. He also works closely with Duke University’s senior leadership to ensure that the Libraries’ services and collections support the academic, instructional, and research needs of faculty, students, and staff across the university.

Prior to being named head of the Duke University Libraries in 2022, Salem served as Dean of Libraries and Interim Associate Provost for Teaching and Learning Innovation at Michigan State University. A nationally recognized information literacy expert, he has published and presented widely on open educational resources, student engagement, teaching and learning, library assessment, and library management.

Salem is active in library affairs on the national level, chairing the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Research & Analytics Committee, and having served on the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) Big Collection Steering Committee and Library Director Executive Team. From 2016 to 2017, he was an Association of Research Libraries Leadership Fellow.

Salem earned his Ph.D. in evaluation and measurement, as well as a master’s of library science and master’s in literature and writing, from Kent State University.