Operations

F. Elizabeth Nicholson became the Interim Senior Director of Operations in July 2024. Nicholson has more than a decade’s worth of experience in academic libraries through expanding roles that have developed her expertise in several areas, including campus partnerships, library finances and facilities, strategic planning, talent management, and teaching in libraries.

As chief of the Operations division, Nicholson’s portfolio for the Hesburgh Libraries includes analytics, data, and insights; facilities and spaces; finance and budget; project management; strategic planning; and talent. She oversees dynamic and effective teams to provide a strong foundation for organizational effectiveness.

In her role, Nicholson collaborates with library and campus partners to enact key service, space, and resource decisions to benefit Hesburgh Libraries users and employees. Hallmarks throughout her experience have been a commitment to clear organizational communication, consensus-building around library and institutional goals, and creating affirming environments in which colleagues may see the value they bring to the organization.

Since joining Notre Dame and the Hesburgh Libraries in September 2021, Nicholson has served as the unit head for User Education & Engagement. In this leadership role, she collaborated with library faculty and campus faculty to develop creative and innovative ways to foster research and information literacy skills for undergraduate students to accelerate academic success. She also served as strategic planning implementation project manager, leading the advancement and communication of organization-wide goals, objectives, key results, and sustainers.

Prior to joining Notre Dame, Nicholson served as an instructional services librarian at North Central College (Naperville, IL).

Nicholson holds a Master's of Library and Information Science from the University of Missouri, an M.A. in French & Francophone Studies from The University of Iowa, and a B.A. in French and International Studies from Illinois Wesleyan University. Her current research interests include strategic planning in academic libraries, person-centered management, and organizational culture in academic libraries.

Reporting to the Director, Hesburgh Libraries Organizational and Personnel Development, the Facilities Program Director is responsible for the management and coordination of all elements of facility operations for the Hesburgh Libraries, including general physical maintenance of the Hesburgh Library building, representing the Libraries on all major facilities and equipment projects, space use and management within the Hesburgh Library, promoting safety and security for our facilities, and supervision of our facilities staff.

The Facilities Program Director is a critical position for ensuring access to the Hesburgh Library for our many student, faculty and staff stakeholders, as well as other visitors. A nationally recognized building, Hesburgh Library sees over 1 million visitors per year.

Salem is primarily responsible for the procurement activities of the Library, reviewing expense reimbursement activity in the TravelND system and non-computer purchases in BuyND. He also assists the Director and the Senior Accounting Specialist with accounting activities.

TravelND

• Audit all expense reports submitted by faculty and staff.
• Assist some faculty and staff with entering their expenses into TravelND.
• Answer questions about expense reimbursement, including issues with expense reports submission.
• Help assemble and submit expense reports for the senior leaders in the Library Administration office.

Procurement /BuyND

• Purchase all non-computer equipment and furniture for the libraries.
• Purchase many miscellaneous items for faculty and staff.
• Research and locate items for procurement that employees need but cannot easily find on their own.
• Coordinate purchases with many different departments on campus, working closely with the Controller’s Group, especially the Procurement Office.
• Ensure Library purchasing activities follow University guidelines and procedures, as communicated by the Controller’s Procurement Office.

Accounting

• Update the Information Technology Budget Report on a quarterly basis.
• Act as Accounts Payable for most of the Library’s expenses (that are not related to materials acquisitions, resources deliver, or Interlibrary Loan services.
• Answer general questions related to budgets, expenses, and account code (FOAPAL) use.

Request a Project Manager

As a Project Manager, Tracey regularly applies creativity, critical thinking, and technical knowledge to topical and operational problems, proposing possible solutions and managing projects designed to develop and maintain efficient standardized processes, practices, and documentation. Tracey managed large-scale projects on behalf of TRU Services, including the Annex move, the renovated 150 space move, and the closures of Math, Chemistry, and Radiation Laboratory Libraries during the pandemic.

Before stepping into a full-time Project Manager role, Tracey was the Program Coordinator and Interim Interlibrary Loan Borrowing Manager for TRU Services where she worked to develop consistent service policies at all service points, opportunities for cross-training and streamlining Library services, and managed the Interlibrary Loan Borrowing unit.

Available to the Notre Dame community as a bonded Notary Public by appointment only.

Bachelor of Liberal Studies, Purdue University
Certificate in Paralegal Studies, Indiana University

• Hesburgh Libraries recognition for "Outstanding Performance" [July 2011]
• Notre Dame Observer, "Hesburgh Libraries announces partnership with St. Joseph County Library" [Dec. 2015]
• Library Journal "Community/College Connections" [Aug. 2018]
• Hesburgh Libraries’ Tracey Morton receives Presidential Achievement Award [Aug. 2022]

Reporting to the Director, Michelle administers the Libraries’ human resources and payroll functions, including recruiting and hiring activities, preparing and managing employee records, and guiding managers and supervisors on University personnel policies and procedures.

Hiring

• Faculty: Support Faculty Search and CAP committees.
• Faculty: Coordinate the reappointment and promotion process.
• Staff: – Work with supervisors to post and recruit for staff positions.
• Staff: Fill temporary and summer employment positions.
• Students: Point of contact for students interested in library employment; refers students to supervisors with open positions in their departments.

Payroll

• Coordinate Ultra Time hourly payroll for the Libraries.
• Work with Payroll Services to resolve questions and concerns regarding hourly, semi-monthly, and bi-weekly payrolls.
• Ensure accurate pay for employees who are on FMLA leave or Worker's Compensation.

Human Resources

• Point of contact for Human Resources-related policy questions or issues.
• Work with Human Resources to ensure accurate documentation and tracking of FMLA issues.
• Work with Risk Management to ensure timely documentation of Worker's Comp related issues.