Jim Mullins has over 40 years of library experience. He was at Purdue University as dean of libraries and Esther Ellis Norton Professor from 2004 to 2017, when he came from MIT Libraries where he was associate director for administration. Earlier, he held administrative/faculty positions at Villanova University and Indiana University. Mullins received BA and MALS degrees from the University of Iowa and a PhD from Indiana University.
He has been active in national and international professional associations. He is a published author and has been recognized as a leader in advancing research libraries and their roles in data management, scholarly communication (with emphasis on the role of the university press, library publishing and open access), and redefining space use within libraries, along with rethinking the role of a librarian and how it must change and evolve within the research university environment.
In 2018 Jim retired from Purdue University and now resides in Williamsburg, Virginia.