Bobby Reed · Librarian & Emerging Technologies Leader
I lead and grow library services and keep student success at the center. An MLIS librarian who has expanded an emerging-technologies program to national prominence, stewarded federal grants, and put new technology to work in real teaching, research, and preservation -- while staying close to the daily work of the reference desk.
In academic libraries
Team led at OU Libraries
Federal funders supported (IMLS, NSF, NEH)
Published author on libraries
A small academic library asks one person to be two things at once: a director who sets a vision for where the library is going, and a working librarian who is still at the desk, in the stacks, and in the classroom. That dual role is not a stretch for me -- it is the shape my career has taken.
At the University of Oklahoma Libraries I led the emerging-technologies program, expanded it across multiple locations, and brought it to the national stage through federal grants and peer-reviewed work. Since 2023 I have stayed in frontline librarianship at Rose State College, doing the reference and instruction work that keeps a service grounded. I treat new technology not as novelty but as a foundation for serving students who are about to arrive -- the ones whose needs the library has to anticipate, not just react to.
Current frontline reference and instruction at Rose State College -- comfortable being both the leader and the librarian on duty.
Led and expanded an established library technology program -- new locations, national recognition; fluent in setting strategy, priorities, and assessment.
VR/AR, 3D, and digital scholarship deployed in real library services -- production tools, not one-off pilots.
IMLS, NSF, and NEH funded; authored technical narratives and managed grant budgets and reporting.
Directed roughly 20 librarians, a developer, and student workers -- hiring, mentoring, and professional growth.
Partnered with faculty and academic units across disciplines to embed the library in teaching and research.
Eight years across academic libraries -- building and leading at a large research university, and staying hands-on in frontline librarianship at a community college.
Selected work that shows what emerging technology looks like in service of a library's core mission -- access, preservation, instruction, and research support.
A networked, multi-user VR classroom that let up to 20 researchers at different campuses examine the same 3D artifact together. The project that put OU Libraries' Emerging Technology Lab on the national map -- generating six published articles and coverage in Campus Technology and Library Journal, and later used to visualize protein structures for an NSF CAREER biochemistry capstone.
A virtual-reality reading room for rare and historical manuscripts, giving students and researchers an immersive way to study fragile materials without physically handling them. A direct answer to the preservation-versus-access tension every special collection faces. Presented at the Construct3D Conference.
High-resolution 3D capture that brought a medieval manuscript to life for remote study and preservation -- extending access to cultural-heritage material far beyond the people who can visit in person. Featured by the OU Data Institute for Societal Challenges.
A browser-based augmented-reality tour of OU's Bizzell Library that kept orientation and exploration going during pandemic distancing -- combining QR codes with AR so students could navigate the building safely and independently. No app, no headset.
Commissioned by the Metropolitan Library System of Oklahoma County, a VR and browser recreation of Oklahoma City's historically Black Fairgrounds District, weaving archival photographs and oral histories into a navigable environment -- an educational record built before the last living witnesses are gone.
IMLS-funded 3D scanning to digitize artifact collections for the Delaware Nation, preserving cultural heritage and opening educational access. Served as Co-Investigator, from grant narrative through technical execution.
Selected writing and talks on libraries -- including a book for ALA and an invited presentation to library directors.
Book · ALA Store -- a practical guide to running VR programs in library settings.
College & Research Libraries News · 2024
OCALD '23 · Invited presentation to library directors.
ALA Annual Conference 2019, Washington, D.C. · Presented on behalf of LITA.
Charleston Conference · 2020
Medical Library Association · Designed and taught this continuing-education course.
Association of College & Research Libraries
2019
Oklahoma Library Association
2019
OU School of Library Studies Scholarship
2017
OU Library School Accreditation
2022
University of Oklahoma · ALA-accredited program
University of Central Oklahoma · 2014
University of Central Oklahoma · 2010
If you are looking for a library leader who can set a vision and still do the work -- someone who treats emerging technology as a way to serve students, not a distraction from it -- I would welcome the conversation.