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Trevor Owens Selected as IMLS Senior Program Officer, National Digital Platform
Owens to head National Digital Platform responsibilities across programs at IMLS
Washington, DC—Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Director Susan H. Hildreth announced today that Trevor Owens has been selected to be the Senior Program Officer with responsibility for the national digital platform in the Office of Library Services.
IMLS Deputy Director for Library Services, Maura Marx, said, "We are delighted that Trevor has accepted this position. His hands-on experience working with online platforms and delivery systems, his background in community building and engagement, and his strategic vision will be great assets to our Discretionary and Grants to States programs and to the Office of Library Services. Supporting a national digital platform is a priority for IMLS, and we’re looking forward to Trevor’s contributions toward developing this priority in all our programs.”
Mr. Owens is currently Digital Archivist with the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP) in the Office of Strategic Initiatives at the Library of Congress, where he plays a key role in defining national strategy for collecting, preserving, and providing access to digital information. He served as co-chair for the National Digital Stewardship Alliance’s Infrastructure working group and managed the development of Viewshare, a free open-source platform for visualizing and sharing digital collections now used by thousands of librarians, archivists and curators. Before joining the Library of Congress, he worked as the community manager for the Zotero open-source research tool at the Center for History and New Media.
Mr. Owens was the recipient of the 2014 Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference C. Herbert Finch Online Publication Award for his work as special curator on a Library of Congress online collection and thematic exhibition featuring the papers of scientist Carl Sagan. He also received the Society for American Archivists’ 2014 Archival Innovator Award, an award granted annually to recognize the archivist, repository, or organization that best exemplifies the “ability to think outside the professional norm.”
Mr. Owens has a Ph.D. in social science research methods and educational technology from George Mason University, a M.A. in American History from George Mason University, and a B.A. in the history of science from the University of Wisconsin.
Mr. Owens said, “I am honored to be joining the IMLS team. I have eagerly followed developments around the IMLS emerging vision for strategically investing in a national digital platform for libraries. A cast of incredibly smart and talented leaders in this field has laid the foundation for the national digital platform portfolio and I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and work closely with new colleagues and innovators from across the country to make progress on shared goals and community priorities.”
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