Charles Lowry to Retire as Head of ARL in December 2012

Charles B. Lowry will retire as Executive Director of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) at the end of December 2012, according to a press release from ARL.

Lowry was appointed Executive Director in 2008 for a three-year term, which was extended for an additional two years at the request of the ARL Board.

"Many of my colleagues have heard me say that I have been surprised by how great a personal experience this late career segue at ARL has been. It has been an unalloyed pleasure to play a role in protecting and moving forward the positive agenda of research libraries," Lowry said in the release. "But I think we do more than that—in my observation over the last 39 years ARL's leadership has contributed much to the whole academic library community."

Before coming to ARL, Lowry served as the Dean of Libraries at the University of Maryland College Park (1996-2008). He was appointed professor emeritus and retired from the University of Maryland in 2010. Prior to the University of Maryland, Lowry directed four other academic and research libraries: Carnegie Mellon University, University of Texas at Arlington, University of South Alabama, and Elon University.

Lowry has been active throughout his career in associations and consortia, research and teaching. With colleagues he cofounded and edited two journals-Library Administration and Management, published by the American Library Association, and portal: Libraries and the Academy, published by the Johns Hopkins Press.

"Charles's great strength," said ARL President Carol A. Mandel, "lies in his deep knowledge of the research library mission and the role that the ARL Executive Director must play in a 'member driven organization' during a time of profound change. He always strikes the right balance between independent and consultative decision making to suit the circumstance."

The ARL Board of Directors plans to make an appointment no later than December 2012.