Kelsa Bartley joins the VCU Libraries faculty as Assistant Director and Head of Research and Education effective November 25, 2024. 

As Assistant Director and Head, Bartley will provide innovative, collaborative leadership and overall management and administration of the Research and Education Department at the Health Sciences Library in developing, promoting and delivering knowledge-based support to Medical College of Virginia (MCV) Campus programs through a faculty liaison librarian model. In addition, this position oversees operations of the VCU Medical Center Health and Wellness Library and works with partners, VCU Medical Center Auxiliary and VCU Health, in its management. Bartley will also:

• lead outreach programming efforts to local, external communities primarily through the Health and Wellness Library;
• collaboratively develop programming for the Health Sciences Library and the Health and Wellness Library; 
• manage the Health Sciences Library in the absence of the Associate Dean and Director;
• develop and sustain relationships that advance the VCU Libraries' mission; and 
• contribute to the Health Sciences divisional leadership team.  

“Kelsa Bartley's a strong addition to the Health Sciences division team.” said Dean of Libraries and University Librarian Irene Herold, Ph.D. “VCU Libraries is excited to benefit from her enthusiastic participation in leadership development opportunities and the knowledge she has gain through that and her former experiences.”

Added Director of the Health Sciences Library and Associate Dean Teresa L. Knott: "Kelsa Bartley is a great addition to the Health Sciences Library leadership team. With her experience leading initiatives for the Medical Library Association and her prior work as an education and outreach librarian at the University of Miami, she is particularly well suited to step into the role of assistant director and head of research and education. She brings a commitment to excellence i outreach and education that will benefit the unit and the VCU Libraries.

Bartley comes to VCU from the University of Miami Louis Calder Memorial Library, where she served as Education and Outreach Librarian and Librarian Associate Professor since 2019. In her position, she was responsible for curating resources to support teaching and learning, and developed and delivered engaging outcomes-focused classroom and online instruction; designed and provided contextualized information literacy instruction and assessed student learning; led library marketing and social media initiatives; produced learning objects including research guides, tutorials, class materials and other resources to promote and support student learning through use of library materials and services; assessed library services and programs for underrepresented and/or minoritized students to improve cultural responsiveness and inclusion; collaborated with library faculty and staff to develop inclusive, accessible, and representative programming and services. 

Professionally, Bartley has been active in the Medical Library Association (MLA). She has served on numerous MLA committees, task forces, and caucuses. She served on the MLA Diversity and Inclusion Task Force from 2017-2020. In 2020, Bartley was elected to serve on the MLA Nominating Committee and she joined the MLA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee; she chaired the DEI Committee in 2023-24. In addition, she served on the editorial board for the Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA) from 2021-24. Since 2021, she has served on the JMLA Equity Work Group. Also, she has been deeply involved in the MLA African American Medical Librarians Alliance Caucus, which she chaired in 2020-2021. 

Bartley has been recognized with various awards and honors during her career. In 2016-17, she was an American Library Association Spectrum Scholar. In 2021, she received the MLA President’s Award as a member of the MLA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force and in 2024 she received two MLA President’s Awards as a founder and planning committee member for the MLA Reads Virtual Book Discussion Program and as a member of the MLA Be Well Committee.

Bartley holds a master of science in information and a Health Information Technology Certificate from Florida State University, Tallahassee. She holds a bachelor’s of fine art in photography degree from Barry University, Miami Shores, Fla.