Richmond, Va. - The Library of Virginia is pleased to announce that Elizabeth “Libby” McDaniel, an accomplished collections management leader, has been named its director of collections, effective Jan. 10, 2027.

 

McDaniel will lead the stewardship, development, description and discovery of the Library’s collections across all formats, including special collections and the Virginia Newspaper Program. She will also oversee acquisitions, cataloging and metadata services and lead the team responsible for assessing and expanding the Library’s collections.

 

McDaniel comes to the Library of Virginia from William & Mary Libraries, where she has worked for eight years, currently serving as head of cataloging and metadata. She brings more than two decades of expertise across library technical services, including metadata, acquisitions, cataloging, conservation and preservation.

 

“We are delighted to welcome Libby to the Library of Virginia,” said Deputy State Librarian and Chief of Collections and Archives Meg Guthorn. “Her extensive experience with special collections, government documents and general collections, combined with her seasoned leadership, will be an enormous asset as we continue to evolve our collections strategy and operations.”

 

Before joining William & Mary, McDaniel served as an adjunct faculty member at Old Dominion University for more than three years and spent more than 12 years at Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries, where she held several librarian positions, including catalog librarian for special collections.

 

She earned a B.A. in music from the University of Missouri–St. Louis and an M.L.I.S. from the University of North Texas. McDaniel also completed the 2025-2026 William & Mary Presidential Leadership Fellows Program.

 

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The Library of Virginia is the leading source of information on Virginia’s history, government and people. The Library’s collections, containing more than 150 million items, document and illustrate the lives of both famous Virginians and ordinary citizens. Our online resources draw nearly one million website visits per year, and our on-site records, exhibitions and events bring in thousands of visitors annually. The Library is located in downtown Richmond near Capitol Square at 800 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23219. Learn more at www.lva.virginia.gov.