Northern Kentucky University has announced Brianna Marshall as the new permanent dean of the W. Frank Steely Library. Marshall has served as interim dean of the library since August 2023.
Marshall started her career at NKU through Steely Library in 2021. As the Senior Associate Dean for Operations, Assessment and Communications, she developed and launched Stego Studio, a state-of-the-art makerspace that provides the campus community free access to creative equipment like 3D printers, laser cutters, sewing machines and more. Prior to her tenure at NKU, Marshall served as the director of research services at the University of California Riverside Library for four years, and was a Digital Curation Coordinator at the University of Wisconsin Libraries for nearly three years.
“I am honored and excited to step into the role of dean. During my time as interim dean, I have seen firsthand the passion our library team brings to empowering students, faculty and the broader NKU community,” said Marshall. “As dean, I look forward to building on that momentum—expanding access to information, fostering an environment for discovery and collaborating with partners across campus to advance NKU’s student success mission.”
As an active leader, Marshall has been commended for her ability to cultivate meaningful and successful partnerships across campus, representing Steely Library and the Norse community with pride. In her first year on campus, Marshall provided leadership and collaboratively designed an open educational resources program that reduced and eliminated course material costs for NKU students.
“Brianna has demonstrated dedicated leadership, initiative and commitment to the success of Steely Library and its mission to support our students, faculty and staff,” said NKU Provost Dr. Diana McGill. “She leads her talented team with creativity and exemplifies what it means to be a part of the NKU community. I am confident that Steely Library will continue to thrive under her leadership.”
Marshall earned her B.A. in English from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, and her Master of Library Science and Master of Information Science degrees from Indiana University Bloomington. She currently resides in Northern Kentucky with her husband and their three children.
Northern Kentucky University