Atlanta, Georgia – January 8, 2025 – The Atlanta University Center (AUC) Robert W. Woodruff Library is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Kayla Siddell as Associate Library Director, effective November 18, 2024. In this key leadership role, Dr. Siddell reports directly to Dr. Kimberley Bugg, Chief Executive Officer and Library Director, and performs a pivotal role in advancing the library’s services and operations in alignment with its strategic mission.

Dr. Bugg, CEO and Library Director at the AUC Woodruff Library, expressed her enthusiasm about Dr. Siddell joining the organization, saying, “We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Siddell to the AUC Woodruff Library. Her extensive experience, combined with her innovative approach to library services, will help elevate the library’s operations and expand the impact we have on our community. Dr. Siddell’s dedication to ensuring that every student has access to the resources they need aligns perfectly with our mission to support lifelong learning and academic success.”

With a distinguished career in academic libraries, Dr. Siddell brings a wealth of expertise to the AUC Woodruff Library. Before joining the AUC Woodruff Library, she served as the Associate Director of the University Library at Xavier University, where she oversaw daily operations, managed a diverse team of professionals, and provided leadership in research services, technology, and learning spaces.

Dr. Siddell is passionate about meeting the unique needs of each student. She shared, “It’s our responsibility to meet students where they are and where they want to be. No student should be left behind. I am committed to ensuring the AUC Woodruff Library provides the spaces, resources, and mentors necessary for every student’s success, fostering an environment where they can thrive.”

Deeply committed to the preservation and promotion of scholarly works through institutional repositories, Dr. Siddell has led efforts at multiple universities to digitize and make accessible student research, including creative works, scholarly papers, and data. Her work has had a profound impact on students, with one of her proudest accomplishments being that 10% of students at Xavier University who engaged with the library’s repository chose to pursue careers in librarianship.

Dr. Siddell holds a Bachelor’s degree in Clinical Psychology from East Tennessee State University, a Master’s degree in Information Science from the University of Tennessee Knoxville, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Xavier University. She is a member of several professional organizations, including the Louisiana Library Network and the Statewide California Electronic Library Consortium. In

August 2024, Dr. Siddell participated in the Leadership Institute for Academic Librarians at Harvard University, a program designed for librarians in management and leadership roles to foster innovation.

Outside of her professional achievements, Dr. Siddell enjoys fiber artistry, painting, sewing, crocheting, and watching movies. She is the daughter of a retired librarian who dedicated 28 years to the profession, a background that has deeply influenced her commitment to libraries and their role in the community.

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About the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library

Established in 1982,the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library, Inc.  partners with the nation’s largest consortium of historically black colleges and universities:  Clark Atlanta University, the Interdenominational Theological Center, Morehouse College and Spelman College, providing information management, instruction and access to a variety of global information resources acquired and organized in support of teaching and learning, scholarship and cultural preservation of the Atlanta University Center and African American history. The Library has evolved into a model repository of information resources and a front-runner in the innovative delivery of digital resources.

The Library’s premier Archives Research Center provides collaborative leadership in preservation, access and collection development of unique archival resources documenting African American history and culture and is noted for its holdings of materials on the African American experience, including the John Henrik Clarke Africana and African American Collection, the Joseph and Evelyn Lowery Collection, the Henry P. Slaughter and Countee Cullen Memorial Collection, Black Women in Radio Historic Collection and the Southern Education Foundation Collection. The Archives Research Center is the repository of institutional records for selected schools within the Atlanta University Center and it serves as custodian of the Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection. In July 2022, the AUC Woodruff Library became the 127th member of the Association of Research Libraries, becoming the second HBCU in its history to achieve this distinction. For more information, visit www.auctr.edu

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For more information about Dr. Siddell or the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library, please contact:
Lisa Walker, Communications Manager
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 404-493-7877
Website: auctr.edu