Tony White
Director of the Library
Tony joins us from Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) University in Toronto, the largest and oldest art and design university in Canada, where he served as the University Librarian and Director of Library Services. His accomplishments at OCAD include the migration to a shared library catalog among 18 universities in Ontario, the implementation of the library’s new course reserves software, along with strengthening professional development, and several collection management projects. Other achievements include leading a diversity analysis project, overseeing a 30% increase in the collections budget, and spearheading collaborations among library staff and the campus planning office to improve public and staff work and study spaces.
More About Me
Prior to OCAD University, White held leadership roles at The Metropolitan Museum of Art where he served as Associate Chief Librarian, as Director of the Decker Library at the Maryland Institute College of Art, and as Head of the Fine Arts Library and Director, Specialization in Art Librarianship at Indiana University, Bloomington. In each library he collaborated with library staff and core user communities, leading innovation in library services, collaborative partnerships, resource sharing, and fundraising initiatives for the promotion of excellence in library collections and services.
In addition to his administrative leadership, White is a recognized scholar, curator, and lecturer promoting the history and criticism of artists’ publishing, artists’ books, and professional topics in librarianship. Since 2018, he has taught the course The History of Artists’ Books Since 1950 at the University of Virginia’s Rare Book School.
He holds a Master of Library Science (MLSc) from Indiana University, Bloomington, a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and a Post-MLSc Certificate in Preservation Management for Rare Book Libraries and Archives from Rutgers University. He is currently enrolled in a Master of Science (MSc) program at Columbia University.