Catherine Cardwell

Catherine Cardwell is the Dean of the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library at the University of South Florida Saint Petersburg (USFSP). She provides leadership for the library, online learning, instructional technology services, and the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. A librarian for twenty-four years, Cardwell has served in various leadership positions for twenty-one of those years, from library instruction coordinator to library dean. Because she has worked in several different types of institutions—including Bowling Green State University, a public doctoral university with high research activity; Ohio Wesleyan University, a small private university; and USFSP, a regional comprehensive university—she has a broad understanding of the challenges and opportunities in a variety of academic library settings. Most recently, Cardwell led the library strategic planning effort at USFSP and is currently overseeing its implementation. Her interests include library leadership, integrating information literacy and digital scholarship into the curriculum, creating dynamic and contemporary user-centered teaching and learning spaces, and improving discovery and usability of library resources and services.