By Becky Gipson

Tulane University Libraries (TUL) is pleased to announce that Leonard "Leo" Martin will join the organization as the new Director of Resource and Discovery Services, with a start date in early September.

Leo brings significant leadership experience in academic libraries, most recently as Head of Resource Management and Metadata at the University of Houston Libraries, where he led teams, set strategy, and developed policies and workflows that strengthened how the libraries describe, manage, and make collections discoverable for users. His experience aligns closely with the core responsibilities of the Tulane role, spanning metadata and resource description across formats and hands-on leadership of integrated library systems, including Alma and Primo.

“What excites me most about Tulane is being able to work with the people that make Tulane and Tulane Libraries unique as an institution,” said Leo Martin. “From the institution’s colleges and programs, to the Libraries collecting areas, the subject expertise around the campus and Libraries, and of course the wealth of institutional knowledge.”

“Leo has a strong record of improving workflows and services to support access, discovery, and operational effectiveness," said Andy Corrigan, Vice Dean of Research & Resource Strategies. “Just as importantly, he is a collaborative and thoughtful leader with a demonstrated commitment to staff development and training, and he is a skilled educator and trainer. We are excited about the experience, perspective, and leadership he will bring to TUL’s Resource & Discovery Services.”

As Director of Resource and Discovery Services, Leo will provide strategic leadership for the newly formed division that brings together acquisitions, electronic resource management, and cataloging and metadata operations, overseeing a team of more than twenty librarians and staff. He will directly supervise the Head of Acquisitions and Electronic Resource Management and the Head of Cataloging and Metadata, while representing TUL on resource and discovery issues as part of both the Libraries Leadership Team and the Vice Dean's Research and Resource Strategies Team. He will be optimizing the Libraries' use of the Ex Libris Alma platform, exploring automation and emerging technologies to improve workflows, and supporting access to distinctive collections such as the Doris Z. Stone Latin American Library and Research Center and Tulane University Special Collections.

“I would like to see Resource and Discovery Services move towards cultivating communities of practice across the division,” said Leo Martin. “Everyone brings their own unique set of skills and knowledge to their roles. My hope is to work with the division to surface what our strengths are, and where there are opportunities to develop and grow sustainably and intentionally across Resource and Discovery Services.”

“Furthermore, I see opportunities to better leverage functionality between Ex Libris Alma for acquisitions and description, and Primo VE for discovery and access, of Tulane’s distinctive collections across print/electronic resources, archival collections, and digital assets.”

About Leo Martin

Leo joins Tulane from the University of Houston Libraries, where he most recently served as Head of Resource Management and Metadata, leading a department of librarians, professional staff, and student assistants responsible for resource description, metadata strategy, and resource management across the libraries. He previously held that department's interim head role and, before that, spent several years as the Resource Description Librarian for Unique Formats and Materials, where he performed original and copy cataloging across formats, including monographs, music scores, sound recordings, and video recordings. Earlier in his career, he served as Catalog Librarian at the New England Conservatory of Music.

Throughout his career, Leo has worked extensively with library services platforms, including Ex Libris Alma and Primo VE, and with national cataloging standards and controlled vocabularies such as RDA, LCSH, and LCGFT. He is currently serving a five-year term as the SACO Music Funnel Coordinator for the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (2022–2027) and sits on the Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms (LCGFT) Editorial Board. He is an active member of the Music Library Association, the Music OCLC Users Group, and the Association for Recorded Sound Collections.

Leo holds a Master of Science in Library Science, with a concentration in Music Librarianship, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education, both from the University of North Texas. His research interests include metadata description and access, as well as the development of modern musical microgenres.

"We are confident Leo will be an excellent addition to our organization, bringing both technical depth and a thoughtful, systems-minded approach to advancing resource management and discovery services at Tulane.” said Lindsay Cronk, Dean of Libraries.