University Libraries Dean Faye A. Chadwell honored by her alma mater

BOONE, N.C. — Penn State University Libraries’ Dean of University Libraries and Scholarly Communications Faye A. Chadwell was among 13 alumni of Appalachian State University honored recently by its alumni association for “exemplary leadership, service and achievements” in their professions, the university and society.

Chadwell was among nine alumni from the university’s academic colleges, honors college, school of graduate studies, and University Libraries recognized July 11 alongside four individuals given university-level awards. She was lauded during App State’s 2026 Alumni Awards Gala held in Kidd Brewer Stadium’s Grandview Ballroom. According to the university, the annual event “recognizes graduates who have made a lasting impact on society and the university through their outstanding professional, philanthropic and volunteer accomplishments.”

“These exceptional alumni — each with a deep-rooted love for App State — represent the very best of who we are,” said App State Chancellor Heather Norris. “Through their professional excellence, service and generous philanthropy, they serve as an inspiration to the entire Mountaineer community.”

Chadwell has remained engaged with App State’s University Libraries, making generous contributions to Belk Library and Information Commons and to scholarships for library student employees. She was selected as the University Libraries’ honoree.

“Working at the Belk Library as a student presented so many opportunities to me, especially needed financial support as well as inspiration for my future career in academic libraries,” Chadwell said. “Because of that, it was very important to me to establish a scholarship for a Belk Library student worker, and I am beginning the process to establish a fund at Penn State University Libraries for student workers.

“I am exceptionally proud of our large number of student workers at Penn State libraries across all our campuses who provide important and needed services and assistance. We seek to create a work experience for them that has value above and beyond their earned wages. We want to cultivate a community of belonging for students while they are at Penn State that continues beyond their work experience.

“Beyond individual rewards and experience gained, working in libraries and archives also serves a vital purpose in society, particularly in a democracy, by providing equitable access to knowledge and creative expression and preserving historical records and data for research potential and discovery of insights,” she added. “We need new generations to support that vital work, whether through working in the field or through philanthropy.”

Chadwell earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree, both in English, from Appalachian State in 1984 and 1987, respectively. She began her career in academic research libraries as a student, working at App State’s Belk Library circulation desk, an experience she considers transformative. She went on to earn a master’s degree in library science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1988 and worked as a faculty librarian at the University of South Carolina at Columbia and the University of Oregon Libraries before moving to Oregon State University where she was eventually named the Donald and Delpha Campbell University Librarian at Oregon State University.

She was appointed Penn State’s Dean of University Libraries and Scholarly Communications on March 1, 2021, where she oversees more than 500 full-time faculty and staff at the University Libraries and the Penn State University Press.

A nationally recognized library leader, Chadwell has held leadership roles with the Association of Research Libraries, the Association of College and Research Libraries, the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, the American Library Association’s Rainbow Round Table and the Oregon Library Association. She has also held board and committee chair positions with the Big Ten Academic Alliance, Greater Western Library Alliance, Partnership for Academic Library Collaboration and Innovation and Orbis Cascade Alliance.