Leadership
Dean's Office
Interim Dean
College of Information, Data and Society
Michael Meth has been serving as the Interim Dean for the College of Information,
Data and Society (formerly College of Professional and Global Education) since October
of 2023. In addition to this interim appointment, Michael is also the Dean of the
91ÁÔÆæ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. He brings a wealth of experience to 91ÁÔÆæ
from his previous roles as Associate Dean of Research and Learning Services at Florida
State University (FSU) Libraries and Director of the Ontario Institute for Studies
in Education Library at the University of Toronto (UofT). Previously, he was the inaugural
Director of the Li Koon Chun Finance Learning Centre at UofT Mississauga Library.
Additionally, he held an adjunct faculty appointment at the Institute for Management
of Innovation at UofT Mississauga.
Michael's extensive teaching portfolio includes numerous graduate and undergraduate
courses covering leadership in libraries, finance and innovation, with a particular
emphasis on design thinking methodology. His contributions to the field are evidenced
by his substantial publishing record, which includes books, chapters and articles.
He frequently presents on diverse topics such as AI, blockchain, neurodiversity and
library leadership. Among his notable works are "Blockchain in Libraries" (2019) and
"Case Studies in Academic Library Management" (2017, co-edited).
Michael Meth's career demonstrates his commitment to advancing student success through
innovative practices and his dedication to educating the next generation of leaders.
His leadership and expertise continue to inspire and shape the future of library and
information science.
Associate Dean, Academics
College of Information, Data and Society
Dr. Sandra Hirsh is Associate Dean for Academics in the College of Information, Data
and Society at San José State University (91ÁÔÆæ). In this role, she engages in strategic
planning and implements programs aligned with the mission and vision of the college
and university, collaborating with department chairs and directors to promote faculty
and student success and academic excellence. Dr. Hirsh holds a Ph.D. and a bachelor's
degree from UCLA and a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University
of Michigan.
Dr. Hirsh has a diverse professional background, having served as Professor and Director
of the School of Information (iSchool) at 91ÁÔÆæ for ten years. Before her tenure at
91ÁÔÆæ, she worked in Silicon Valley for over a decade in R&D and consumer product development
at Hewlett Packard Labs, Microsoft and LinkedIn. She co-founded and co-chairs the
global virtual Library 2.0 conference series and has held leadership roles such as
the 2015 President of the Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T)
and the 2020-2021 President of the Association for Library and Information Science
Education (ALISE). She is also involved in the American Library Association (ALA)
as Chair-Elect of the International Relations Round Table (IRRT) and is a member of
the Section on Education and Training in the International Federation of Library Associations
and Institutions (IFLA).
An active scholar and researcher, Dr. Hirsh published a book entitled Blockchain,
as book 3 in the ALA Library Futures Series (2020) and an introductory textbook entitled
Information Services Today: An Introduction (3rd edition, 2022). Her new book, Library
2035: Imagining the Next Generation of Libraries, was published by Rowman & Littlefield
in 2024; accompanying the book, Hirsh conducted a series of interviews with the authors
which can be accessed on the Library 2035 Webcast Site or YouTube.
Scott Broberg
Senior Director, Resources and Operations
The Senior Director for Resources and Operations (DRO) is a key college administrator
with responsibility and oversight of budget and fiscal management, operations, human
resources and facilities.
Department of Applied Data Science
Chair and Professor
Department of Applied Data Science
Simon Shim is a professor and chair of the Applied Data Science Department at San
José State University. He was on the editorial board of IEEE Computer for 10 years
and the area editor of Internet Computing at Computer for 5 years. He worked as a
Director at SAP Labs, Palo Alto, CA, USA. He was a guest editor for three special
issues of IEEE Computer: High Speed Security (2004), Next Generation Memory (2013)
and The CAP Theorems' Growing Impact (2012). In addition to holding several patents,
he has more than fifty papers published in conferences and journals, including IEEE
Computer, IEEE Transaction on Knowledge and Data Engineering, IEEE Concurrency, ACM
MONET and Journal of Multimedia Tools and Applications (Kluwer Academic Publishers).
He has co-authored two published technical books. He received a PhD in computer science
from the University of Minnesota. Along with organizing several conferences and workshops,
he served as co-chair of IEEE Big Data Services and was a member of the technical
committee for many international conferences and workshops.
School of Information
Director and Professor
School of Information
I am married with three children and have a PhD in instructional systems design (my
major professor was Dr. Marcy Driscoll) and MS in educational psychology (my advisor
was Dr. Bruce Tuckman) from Florida State University and a BS in developmental psychology
from San Francisco State University. After a few years working in training for the
Florida Department of Revenue and an Internet company, I became a non-tenured track
faculty member at Florida State's School of Information Studies where I headed up
their online learning program, usability lab and their information technology department.
I began teaching courses in leadership, usability and technology, conducting research
and consulting in the LIS field (6 years at FSU and 15 years at UNCG) before joining
the iSchool. As a consultant, I am the CEO of Strategic Performance Systems, where
I develop strategic plans for libraries as well as conduct evaluations and needs assessments
for a wide array of organizations across the nation.
My academic career spans 21 years during which time I have worked as a faculty member;
served as coordinator/director of online learning; published two books and two book
chapters and 141 peer-reviewed publications, proceedings, presentations and posters;
and received over $3 million in grants and contracts to fund research projects. I
have a steep record of service and leadership at all levels of academia and the library
and information science field and take deep pride in contributing to any team or group
I am part of. Academic leadership positions I have held include serving as Secretary
for the UNC System Faculty Assembly, the founding co-editor of the UNC System Journal
of Digital Learning Innovations, UNCG’s Faculty Senate Chair, Chair of UNCG’s P&T
Committee, Chair of UNCG’s Internal Grants Committee, and School of Education Faculty
Assembly Chair.
Associate Director
School of Information
Linda Main received her Ph.D. at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign). She
also holds Masters degrees from the University of Wales (Aberystwyth) and the University
of Dublin, Trinity College (Ireland).
She spent many years working in the library of Trinity College Dublin rotating through
many different departments including rare books and manuscripts. She was also a Project
Coordinator for CELDS (US Army Corps of Engineers) and a Database Coordinator for
the Recidivism Database (US Dept. Justice).
Main has written three books and published many articles. Her research interests are
in designing information products for a global audience, Web programming languages
delivered online and digitization of medieval manuscripts.
Main has been involved in many consultancy projects including projects for the British
Library, the Bibliotheque National, the Benito Juarez Autonomous University (Oaxaca,
Mexico), the State Technical Library (Prague), Udaras na Gaeltachta, the National
Library of Malta and the Highlands and Islands Enterprise Board. She also works with
a small Eastern European consultancy business that develops Web sites and digitizes
manuscripts.
