Spotlight – Tom Messner, Executive Dean of the Library/Learning Commons Administrative Offices

Tom Messner
Executive Dean of the Library/Learning Commons
Administrative Offices 

Tom Messner is incredibly excited to be the new Executive Dean of the Library/Learning Commons at Florida State College at Jacksonville. He holds a BSBA in Finance from the University of Arkansas and a MLIS from the University of Oklahoma. He has over twenty years of administrative experience in public and private academic libraries, including The University of Tulsa and Northeastern State University in Oklahoma, and Barry University in southern Florida. He is active in state and regional professional library organizations and has recently served on the Executive Board of Directors of the Southeast Florida Library Information Network (SEFLIN).

He has been married to his wife Dorothy for over 28 years, and is blessed with two wonderful children, Emily and Charles. Tom was raised in a large family with five sisters. Being the third oldest in a family with five girls helped him hone his personal skill as a “collaborator and peace maker.”

Tom states, “Academic libraries, like many areas within higher education, face relentless change as the organization seeks to mirror the evolving information, technology and service needs of our students, faculty and staff. Our mission in the LLCs is to understand the current needs of our users, and to collaboratively provide an array of outstanding services and resources that fulfill those needs. Each service and resource we offer through the LLC is intended to positively influence our user’s academic, personal, professional and organizational success.”