Raiford to lead library’s Special Collections

Friday, August 31, 2012

Meredith Evans Raiford has joined the J. Murrey Atkins Library as associate university librarian for Special Collections. She will lead the Special Collections Department, the digital programs and collections unit and the Digital Scholarship Lab.

“It's an exciting time to be a part of the UNC Charlotte community - the rapid growth and the University’s commitment to global and innovative research, teaching and learning is very appealing,” said Raiford, who brings extensive academic and professional experience to this position.

As the director of the Special Collections Research Center for the Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library at George Washington University, Raiford developed a nationally prominent special collections program, securing key collections through donor funding and grants. As curator of printed materials at Atlanta University Center’s Robert Woodruff Library, she collaborated with Boston University on an Andrew Mellon Foundation grant project to process and digitize papers and books of Martin Luther King Jr.

Developing stronger ties with the Charlotte community to preserve the history of people and places that have moved the city and country forward is a goal for Raiford. She plans to focus on using technology to reveal collections in their best and highest use. “The goal is to create a premiere digital program that will foster global scholarship in all forms.”

Raiford earned her Ph.D. in library science with an archive concentration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She completed a master’s in public history at N.C. State University and a master’s in library science at Clark Atlanta University.

Stanley Wilder, University librarian, said Raiford is “exceptionally well qualified for the task of moving Special Collections forward; she’s creative, personable, and she’s got a compelling vision for the future.”