Simon Neame Departs UMass Libraries for University of Washington

AMHERST, Mass. – Simon Neame, dean of UMass Amherst libraries, has been appointed the new dean of university libraries at the University of Washington. The move means Neame, a Vancouver native, will be closer to family. He will begin at UW on Sept. 1.

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Since 2016, Neame has led the W.E.B. Du Bois Library, the Science and Engineering Library and the Wadsworth Library at the Mount Ida Campus. Prior to arriving at UMass Amherst, he was associate university librarian and director of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre at the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver campus.

He has led a number of initiatives aimed at preserving indigenous knowledge, and amplifying the voices and stories of underrepresented communities through digitization programs, such as his work with the archives of civil rights activist and writer W.E.B. Du Bois. Neame’s own research explores the intersection between libraries and museums, and opportunities for integration across collections through open discovery systems.

As dean of University Libraries at UW, Neame will lead a network of 16 academic research libraries across all three campuses, and the UW Press.

“The UW Libraries is one of the top research libraries in the country, and is a leader in advancing research, access to knowledge and promoting open scholarship,” Neame said. “I am very excited by the opportunity to work with such an outstanding team at the Libraries and Press, as well as the faculty and students at the UW, and to return to the beautiful Pacific Northwest.”

Neame holds a bachelor’s degree in English and history from the University of Victoria and a master of library and information studies from the University of British Columbia.