Linda Matthews, director of Special Collections in Woodruff Library, has been appointed by interim Provost Woody Hunter to succeed Joan Gotwals as vice provost and director of University Libraries.

Gotwals recently announced she will retire at the end of the academic year, and Hunter said he made the appointment after a wide range of people—including the Council of Deans, an ad hoc committee of faculty and senior administrators, library staff and others—assured him no search was needed.

“The library is being run well; Linda has the skills to keep it going in the right direction; and a smooth transition will allow the careful development of plans for the capital campaign,” Hunter said.

Matthews will serve a three-year term that will begin no later than Sept. 1. During 2005–06, Hunter said, a national search will be held to locate a permanent vice provost for University Libraries.

“I could not be more pleased about Linda’s appointment,” Gotwals said. “She has so much experience in the library, in the University at large, at the national level in the profession and with the scholarly community. With leadership firmly in place, the library will be able to keep moving vigorously ahead and start the important planning phase leading up to a major capital campaign.”

Matthews joined Emory as a reference archivist in 1972. She earned her bachelor’s from Albion College (Mich.) and her master’s and PhD from Duke. Matthews also earned a master’s in librarianship from Emory, and she has been director of Special Collections since 1982.