Library & Information Technology Services
Richard Mendola, Ph.D. is the Vice President of Information Technology and CIO for Emory University. In this role since 2007, Dr. Mendola and his team are responsible for creating and sustaining a seamless, agile, innovative and efficient information technology environment that advances the educational, clinical and research activities and aspirations of Emory.
I’m very pleased to release this year’s annual report for the Library and Information Technology Services (LITS) organization. The very structure of the report reflects the degree of integration and synergy that now exists across our divisions. No longer are we highlighting divisional accomplishments, but our narrative is focused on how the many different parts of LITS have come together to support Emory’s mission.
In the past year, many high profile initiatives came to fruition. One of the most visible was the opening of the magnificent Rose Library – a beautiful and functional space that finally matches the stature of our rare book and manuscript collections. Our business intelligence and visualization tools are now mature platforms, with specific initiatives like the School of Medicine’s tripartite dashboard offering common views into what were once information silos. Healthcare’s move to ICD-10, in the planning for many years, came to pass, with nary a mention of the apocalypse that some in the industry thought it might be.
The year also saw many future trends become current realities. Our support for digital journals is now based on a common pattern, thanks to the pioneering efforts of the Southern Spaces team. We now have capabilities to both build and release mobile apps, which is an area of intense interest from our customers. Researchers are benefiting from multiple innovative products and services, running the gamut from drone-facilitated 3D models of Greek ruins, to support for a range of diverse biorepositories.
Of course, there is still much work to be done preparing for the ever changing demands within higher education and healthcare. University Libraries is entering a particularly active planning phase as it maps future services and facilities offerings, and our new library services center, built in partnership with Georgia Tech, will be open in the next few months. A new virtual desktop in Emory Healthcare that incorporates Office 365 will become a reality in the coming year. Finally, the new year will also see the completion of two very complex and important projects – the network core upgrade, and a major update to our Compass financials system.
My team and I look forward to continuing our work with our many partners across the institution as we strive to support Emory’s mission in the most cost effective and impactful manner.
Rich Mendola
Enterprise Chief Information Officer and Sr. Vice Provost of Library Services & Digital Scholarship
"No longer are we highlighting divisional accomplishments, but our narrative is focused on how the many different parts of LITS have come together to support Emory’s mission."
Rich Mendola
Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer