Laura Gariepy, a longtime library leader dedicated to supporting student and faculty success, has been selected as the next dean of university libraries at William & Mary.
Gariepy currently serves as the associate dean for research and learning at Virginia Commonwealth University’s James Branch Cabell Library.
“I am delighted to join the William & Mary community, having long admired the institution’s commitment to academic excellence and community-engaged research and programming,” said Gariepy. “I am inspired by William & Mary’s approach to honoring and interpreting the past, while also innovating for the future.”
At William & Mary, she will lead a team of 64 and oversee areas including the Special Collections Research Center, collection and content services, research and public services, development, and external relations.
“It was Ben Franklin — the first recipient of an honorary degree from William & Mary — who recognized the signal role of libraries in a democratic republic. Today, our libraries are the catalysts for inquiry and community that Franklin sought,” said W&M President Katherine A. Rowe. “We warmly welcome Dr. Gariepy to the Alma Mater of the Nation. She is the right person to lead William & Mary Libraries as our tools of learning and knowledge-making continue to evolve.”
Gariepy will start at William & Mary on Aug. 10. She succeeds Carrie Cooper, who departed the university for a position at Florida State University in December. Lisa Nickel, associate dean of research and public services, served as interim dean while a national search was conducted, with Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences Suzanne Raitt chairing the search committee. As dean of W&M Libraries, Gariepy will report directly to Provost Peggy Agouris.
“Our libraries power learning and research and serve as a hub for community engagement,” Agouris said. “With her experience across library services and relationships-focused leadership style, Dr. Gariepy will ensure our libraries continue to thrive and support William & Mary as a nationally preeminent university and R1 research institution.”
W&M Libraries includes Earl Gregg Swem Library plus a number of specialized collections and services across campus. In 2025, Princeton Review ranked Swem third among the best college libraries in the nation.
As its dean, Gariepy will strengthen the library as a campus and community anchor and develop its staff. She will also identify ways for W&M Libraries to support the university’s research mission through its collection of resources and partnerships with student and faculty researchers. In addition, she will advance the libraries’ efforts around digital scholarship, data stewardship, and other emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.
“I’m grateful to my colleagues on the search committee for their insight and care in guiding this process,” said Raitt. “Thanks to their work, we are welcoming an exceptional new leader to William & Mary. Dr. Laura Gariepy brings a clear understanding of the vital role libraries play in supporting teaching, learning and discovery, and I am thrilled to have her join our community.”
Gariepy received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Appalachian State University and a master’s degree in library sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She went on to earn her doctorate in education from VCU in 2019.
In her current role at VCU, Gariepy leads library teaching, research and outreach for the Monroe Park Campus, which serves about 25,000 students. As part of that work, she oversees all aspects of library support for academic work, including information services and circulation, research support and interlibrary loan and resource sharing. She also coordinates emergency planning and helps lead budgeting and strategic planning for VCU Libraries.
Gariepy began with VCU Libraries as an undergraduate research librarian. In 2012, she was hired as the assistant head for instructional services and in 2015 became the head of teaching, learning and information. She served in that role until 2018, when she assumed her current position.
“This is a wonderful moment for William & Mary. Dr. Gariepy brings exactly the kind of vision and collaborative spirit our community needs, and I couldn’t be more excited to welcome her into this role,” said Lisa Nickel, interim dean of university libraries. “It has been my honor to steward this library through the search, and I look forward to seeing all that we will accomplish together under her leadership.”
Throughout her career, Gariepy has led a number of major organizational transformations and capital initiatives. She recently established the VCU Libraries Assessment Committee and Joint Online Learning Team and guided the merger of the information services and resource sharing departments. She founded VCU Libraries’ StudyWell initiative, rooted in programming that advances students’ holistic well-being, which has become a model for other institutions. She has also evolved spaces with a focus on inclusion, stewarding projects such as a Reflection Room and Sensory Room and other initiatives to ensure library spaces are welcoming and productive for all.
Gariepy’s scholarship focuses on assessment, information literacy, student success and data privacy, and she has written a number of scholarly papers and book chapters. She has also served in leadership roles with a number of professional organizations, including LOEX and the Association of College and Research Libraries.
“I look forward to nurturing the success of William & Mary Libraries, deepening the extraordinarily strong relationships with faculty across campus, strengthening the student experience and integrating superb collections into teaching and research,” Gariepy said.
“Most of all, I look forward to working with the talented faculty and staff both in the libraries and across all of William & Mary to advance the university’s mission together.”
Erin Jay, Senior Associate Director of University News