Aaron Nichols, UVM Libraries director of Access, Technology and Multimedia Services and a library associate professor, has been appointed interim dean of the UVM Libraries beginning July 1. Nichols has more than 20 years of experience as an academic librarian and 18 years as a supervisor and leader. He understands the evolving landscape of academic libraries and the importance of responding to the needs of students, researchers, community members and institutional partners.  

As acting dean of UVM Libraries in 2025, Nichols held primary responsibility for the Libraries budget, including major collections decisions and stewardship of the operations budget, and worked with circulation staff and campus partners to open Howe Library as an all-night study space for students during final exams. In his director role, he led numerous projects that modernized services and strengthened operations. In multimedia services, he shifted the program from traditional content acquisition and distribution to a technology-rich model focused on multimedia creation, emerging technologies and equipment-based learning in support of digital scholarship. Over the past two years, he has worked with colleagues to assess AI’s impact on academic libraries and to develop an approach for the UVM Libraries. He has been a member of the Libraries team since 2011.

Bryn Geffert's tenure as dean of libraries will end June 30, after which he will transition to a teaching position in the Patrick Leahy Honors College.