Associate Dean Fox Named Interim Dean of OU Libraries

During the virtual meeting on June 18, the OU Board of Regents approved naming Darin Fox, associate dean, professor of law and director of the Law Library, as interim dean of OU Libraries. The transition went into effect as of June 15. He succeeds Carl Grant, who served as Interim Dean from July 2018 through June 2020 and previously served as Associate Dean for Knowledge Services and Chief Technology Officer for the University Libraries.

Dean Fox served as the director of the Law Library at the College of Law since 2005. While at the College of Law, his responsibilities included library administration, teaching legal research and technology projects, including the College of Law’s Digital Initiative. Dean Fox received accolades such as the Outstanding Faculty Member award in 2015 and 2020 and the Institutional Impact Award in 2018. In addition, he co-authored a book on Oklahoma Legal Research and book chapters on the impact of technology on law schools and the use of data in law libraries. During his fifteen years at OU, the College of Law has been recognized twice as an Apple Distinguished School and a Top 20 Most Innovative Law School for its work on the use of technology in legal education and law practice.

While at the College of Law, Dean Fox's research interests focused on the intersection of law, libraries and information technology. Specifically, he was interested in how technology is impacting law libraries and the practice of law, including law firm management, information delivery, research strategies and knowledge management.

Dean Fox is active in professional service and leadership; he is currently a member of the American Association of Law Libraries and the Mid-America Association of Law Libraries. He is past-chair of the Association of American Law Schools, Section on Law Libraries and Legal Information and past-president of the Mid-America Law Library Consortium. He was named Barrister of the Year by the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Inn of Court in 2008. He previously served as associate dean, director of information technology and computer services librarian at the University of Southern California Law School from 1994-2004.