Paul Bracke (hs5277)

Paul Bracke is the Dean of Wayne State University Library System and School of Information Sciences in Detroit, Michigan. Dean Bracke provides administrative leadership and oversight for five libraries in the system, including the medical and law libraries, and the Walter P. Reuther Library of Labor and Urban Affairs, which houses the world’s largest labor archives.

Bracke also leads the ALA accredited, School of Information Sciences, the only master’s-only program nationally ranked in the top 25 Library and Information Studies Programs by U.S. News & World Report.

Previously, he was the Dean of the Foley Library at Gonzaga University, a position he held since 2016. In this role he was responsible for providing leadership to the Foley Library and the Office of Sponsored Research and Programs. He held previous positions at Purdue University as Assistant Dean for Research and Assessment, University of Arizona, the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Bracke holds a bachelor’s degree in history and journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia, a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a doctorate in Higher Education from the University of Arizona. He was a member of the Association of Research Libraries’ Leadership Fellows 2013-2015 cohort.

Bracke’s research interests include social and relational capital in academic libraries, research services, digital libraries, and library automation. He has held leadership positions in the Library Information Technology Association, the Association of College and Research Libraries, DateCite, and the Catholic Research Resources Alliance.

3100 UGL: Dean's Office