Cyberinfrastructure and the Future of Libraries

Joyce Ray
Joyce Ray
Associate Deputy DirectorLibrary ServicesUS Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)Read Bio

What can libraries (and digital libraries) contribute to the infrastructure of the web, and how do libraries need to change to do this?

Joyce Ray, currently a visiting professor in the department of information studies at University College London, was Associate Deputy Director for Library Services at the US Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) from 1997 until September 2011. An archivist by training, Joyce also had responsibility for agency-wide digital initiatives as well as running the program for library and museum collaborations. Prior to joining the IMLS, she held positions as Assistant Program Director for Technological Evaluation and Acting Program Director, National Historical Publications and Records Commission; Special Assistant to the Archivist, National Archives and Records Administration; and Head of Special Collections, the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Joyce’s acquaintance with both the library and museum worlds began with her tenure at IMLS. She currently serves as a member of the program committee of the Joint Conference on Digital Libraries; is the U.S. organizer of the International Digital Cultural Content Forum; and is the principal organizer of the annual IMLS Web-Wise Conference on Libraries and Museums in the Digital World. She helped to organize and was one of the first members of the Joint Committee on Libraries, Archives and Museums, sponsored jointly by the American Library Association, the American Association of Museums, and the Society of American Archivists. She is a certified archivist and holds a Master of Library Science from the University of Texas at Austin. In addition, she holds a Ph.D. in American history, with a specialty in the social history of women and medicine in the U.S., and has taught women's history at Georgetown University. She has presented at numerous professional meetings about IMLS and its programs, and about trends in libraries, archives and museums relating to technology, professional education, and convergence.

A continuously updated schedule of talks is also available on the Digital Dialogues page.

Unable to attend the events in person? Archived podcasts can be found on the MITH website, and you can follow our Digital Dialogues Twitter account @digdialog as well as the Twitter hashtag #mithdd to keep up with live tweets from our sessions. Viewers can watch the live stream as well.

All talks free and open to the public. Attendees are welcome to bring their own lunches.

Contact: MITH (mith.umd.edu, mith@umd.edu, 301.405.8927).