Thomas Walker, Ed.D.

Education

· Ed.D., Leadership Studies, Marshall University

· M.S.L.S, Library Science, Clarion University

· B.S., Music, Radford University

Areas of Interest/Teaching

Higher Education Administration; Library Management; Library Budgeting; Institutional Repositories; Scholarly Communication; Author’s Rights; Archival Studies; and Special Collections

Experience

· Associate Librarian for Collection Management, Liberty University

· Music and Digital Services Librarian, Marshall University

· Music Cataloging Librarian, Old Dominion University

· Archives Assistant, Jones Memorial Library

Publications and Presentations

· Librarians in an Austerity Environment, Dissertation (2022)

· The Rev. M. Homer Cummings Papers at Marshall University, Conference Presentation (2017) (w/Robert Ellison, Ph.D.)

· A Primer on How to Launch an Institutional Repository Successfully, The Charleston Advisor 16, 3 (2015)

· Supplemental Material for A Primer on How to Launch an Institutional Repository Successfully (2015)

· Marshall University Institutional Repository Proposal (2011)

Biography

Thomas L. Walker, II, Ed.D., serves as the Associate Librarian for Collection Management as part of the Ehrhorn Law Library team. Dr. Walker’s area of expertise is focused on library management and operations. As head of the Collection Management Department, he ensures that students, faculty, staff, and community members have access to a wide range of legal-related materials and collections. Additionally, he oversees the preservation of the Child Protection Institute and Reisman Collection.

Dr. Walker received his doctorate in Leadership Studies with a specialization in Higher Education Administration. His dissertation, Librarians in an Austerity Environment, focuses on library budgeting and maintaining strong collections through state budget cuts to higher education. Additionally, he did secondary research on library collections and budgeting during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Walker’s passion is in Institutional Repositories (IR). While obtaining his master’s degree, a professor introduced him to the concept of IR simply by saying, “An IR gives access to information to everyone. An IR gives the poor access to the rich and rich access to poor.” To Dr. Walker, this meant that information should be freely accessible to anyone who desires it. Since that time, he has been a proponent of IRs. His secondary in Scholarly Communication goes hand in hand with that statement made by his former professor. He has served on committees for the protection of author’s rights as well as copyright protection for artists, composers, and performers.

He has consulted with several institutions on the handling of selected material for IRs and assisted in the development of music collection pages for Marshall University and Boise State University. He has also served on capstone committees for students in Engineering, Music, and Education.

Dr. Walker believes in education and putting students first. He is never too busy to help a student if they are in need.