Robert H. McDonald (Indiana University Bloomington)

Robert H. McDonald oversees the technological infrastructure and innovations that facilitate, support, and enhance IU Libraries collections and services. As the Associate Dean for Library Technologies and Digital Libraries, he is responsible for the IU Libraries’ Technology Division including the Digital Library Program, IU Enterprise Software Library Systems Department, and the statewide Indiana University Integrated Library System, IUCAT. McDonald is the co-principal investigator on several technology-related Libraries initiatives including the HathiTrust Research Center, a digital library initiative providing large-scale data access, and the Bamboo Technology Project, focused on building applications and shared infrastructure for humanities research.

McDonald is also the Associate Director of the Data to Insight Center at IU’s Pervasive Technology Institute, responsible for collaborative projects that utilize the IU Digital Library Program in mass data storage, data analysis, data curation, and digital library infrastructure. Additionally, he serves as the Executive Director of Kuali Open Library Environment, a multi-institutional initiative to develop open source library management software.

Prior to joining the IU Libraries, McDonald held senior management positions with the San Diego Supercomputer Center and Florida State University Libraries. He is an active writer and speaker, covering diverse topics in library science including software, storage, marketing, metadata, and collaborative digital preservation.