For Brianna Marshall, libraries have been a place of solace since she was 9 years old.

“Even though at that time, I wasn’t like, ‘I want to be a librarian,’ there was this kind of natural comfort in the space,” she says. “And that really expanded my whole worldview growing up in a small town.”

The Wisconsin native pursued her undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, where the library yet again became a source of comfort.

“During my first week there, I needed to figure out what my degree was going to be and what I was going to do. I remembered being like, ‘Here I am. How am I going to make the most of my years here?’ I had that very analytical approach; I needed to have it all figured out. It was my first week, and I was very homesick. It was my first time leaving home. I went to the library and felt that comfort there. That’s when I said, ‘Huh, what would it take to work in a library? What would that career path look like for me?’ So I did my own research into that and realized you needed to get a master’s degree. And that’s kind of how I built out that vision.”

Marshall spent her time as an undergraduate student volunteering and gaining work experience with librarians and library staff.

When she decided to attend graduate school, she was able to jump right in. But she wasn’t sure exactly which path she would take.

“I was sort of bent on the idea that I'm not really a traditional librarian. I could see myself working in academia, but I don't necessarily have to be called a librarian. I could be an archivist. I could be a technologist. But I was very interested in shifting the idea of what a library could be. I still felt that affinity toward the library as organization. But I was trying to be savvy and thinking, ‘How do I fit into this picture?’”

That decision led Marshall to pursuing two master’s degrees: a Master of Library Science (MLIS) and a master’s degree in information science. Understanding the technical side of the library—how libraries were being impacted by technology—was a crucial skillset when Marshall entered the workforce.

Her first position brought her back home to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she became a digital curation coordinator for several years.

Marshall’s interest in gaining management experience later led her to the University of California, Riverside, where she took on the role of director of research services.

“I wanted to have an adventure. It was a big move from home, and I had a young family at the time. I had a team moving forward on really interesting, innovative new types of library support which really excited me. At that time, I got to help launch a makerspace and help rethink new library services.”

Her rapid progress in California got her thinking about leadership roles and considering her next move.

And in 2021, the perfect opportunity opened up right here at Northern Kentucky University in the W. Frank Steely Library.

“I sort of became attuned to this idea of being an administrator, and I chose to apply for the senior associate dean position here,” she says. “NKU reminded me so much of my alma mater—that regional comprehensive university really supporting the region. I really thought I could see myself in NKU students.”

Marshall was eight months pregnant when the former dean of Steely Library told her she accepted a job elsewhere, which meant that she would be taking the reins as interim dean. She navigated that role for nearly two years before officially being named dean in July 2025.

For Marshall, the library goes beyond just academic support for students.

“We also support their wellness. We bring positivity and create community. We're always thinking about how we can provide the most impactful experience and support to our students,” she says. “In addition to all the support that we provide, I feel really strongly that the library needs to be a place that reflects our learners. I really want our students to feel like, ‘That's my library.’ It's an inherent challenge to think about supporting online learners and also supporting folks who are using our physical facilities, but that's a worthy challenge.”

Marshall spends much of her time thinking about new ways to make an impact with students and bringing learners back to the library—on campus and online.

And sometimes that requires her (and her staff) getting out of Steely.

“A lot of people are going to be intimidated by the library, especially our first-year students. We're always thinking about those ways that we can get ahead of that—lower that intimidation factor, be friendly faces, be welcoming, keep our social media fun and accessible to our learners,” she says. “We're not waiting for students to walk in the door. We're going to the Student Union. We're doing tabling. We're showing our friendly faces, and we're bringing resources to them.”

During the last two years, Marshall has focused on deepening the number of student programs and students experiences that the library offers.

One of those experiences, she says, is a fellowship that allows undergraduate and graduate students to have a hands-on learning opportunity in the library.

And with the rise of artificial intelligence, library staff are always thinking about ways to help students evaluate sources and become critical consumers of information.

Marshall loves her role as dean, but she understands that it takes more than just the library to contribute to student success.

“It can't just be me and folks in the library who are committed and invested in the library. I want to bring that energy and that information and the relationship-building and be a connector so that everyone cares. So that everyone feels that they have an opportunity to help shape our direction and to help shape the way that we serve students. Because we rely on all of those different perspectives to help us do our job better.”