Mellie Smith was named acting librarian upon the establishment of the university library. She had come to Toledo from the Cincinnati Public Library, where she served as senior assistant cataloger and reference librarian.

Smith grew the original library collection from 3,500 to over 8,000 volumes by 1921. She was also responsible for introducing the Dewey Decimal System of classification to the library.

Mellie Smith left the University of Toledo for Miami University in 1921 where she spent the rest of her career until 1946.

A graduate of the University of Toledo, Mary Gillham became Assistant Librarian in 1921 and University Librarian in 1922, a position she held until she retired in 1969. At the time of her retirement, she was the longest-serving employee in University history. She was a member of the committee appointed by President Wilbur White to do the initial planning for a new library-law building (now known as Gillham Hall). She also served as Executive Secretary of Friends of the University Library, chairman of the Library Addition Building Committee, and Chairman of the book drive sponsored by Friends of the University Library.

Patrick Barkey was appointed the University of Toledo’s first library director in 1967. During his tenure, Barkey sought to expand library facilities and secure new learning resources. He oversaw the construction of Carlson Library, serving as chair of the Library Building Committee. In addition, Barkey served as a member of the Inter-University Council which, in 1967, established the Ohio College Library Center (now known as OCLC), enabling the libraries of Ohio’s other state universities to share a computerized catalog network. He resigned from UToledo in 1974 to join the staff at Claremont College.

Hogan joined UT Libraries in September of 1970. While at UT, he served as chairman of the Inter-University Librarians Council’s serial and monograph evaluation committee. Prior to being named Acting Director in 1974, he was assistant director of the University Libraries for systems and processing (he became director in 1991). He was also professor of library administration.

Leslie Sheridan’s appointment was coupled with an expanded library budget that was expected to increase acquisitions and catalog computerizing, among other improvements. He was chairman of the Inter-University Library Council and the Northwest Ohio Committee on Library Cooperation, as well as a member of the first Board of Trustees of the OHIONET library consortium (where he served on the Finance and Publications committees). He was also a member of the University’s Council of Academic Deans, the Graduate Council, and was the Executive Secretary of The Friends of The University of Toledo Libraries.

Laurene Zaporozhetz served as Dean of University Libraries for 2 years. After her service as Dean, she assumed the position of Professor of Library Administration before resigning in 2005.

Charles Terbille is a graduate of the University of Toledo and served as a part-time reference librarian at the University. In early 2001, he was named Interim Assistant Dean and Co-Director of University Libraries with Rajinder Garcha. He tendered his resignation later that year but remained until 2002.

Rajinder Garcha served as Co-Director and Interim Assistant Dean of University Libraries in 2001, and as sole Director until 2002. She served as Interim Assistant Dean until 2003, when she resumed her position as a Professor of Library Administration.

During John Gaboury’s tenure, the first floor of Carlson Library was transformed into the $3.7 million Information Commons (opened in 2007), which was developed in order to increase students’ access to library resources. Group study rooms, a room for students to practice giving presentations, and media labs for the production and editing of audio and video content were among the new features. The library also provided laptop rentals and an IT help desk, services which continue to the present day.

In 2011, Carlson Library became part of the College of Innovative Learning (COIL). That same year, Carlson underwent additional renovations, including moving resources from the second to the third floor and moving the library’s media collection to the Circulation area on the first floor.

Originally hired as a reference librarian when she joined the University of Toledo in 1992, Marcia King-Blandford later became Assistant Professor of Library Administration.

A 3-time graduate of the University of Toledo, Barbara Floyd became University Archivist and Instructor of Library Administration in 1986. In 2002, she gained additional responsibilities as the director of the Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections. In 2015, she became interim director of University Libraries; while serving as director, she oversaw extensive renovations to the third and fourth floors of the library; these included individual study rooms, study carrels, and lockers. She retired from the University in 2017 with the title Professor Emerita of Library Administration.

Thomas Atwood began his career at UT in 2004 as a Visiting Professor of Information Literacy and later Coordinator of Information Literacy and Library Instruction. He was promoted to professor in 2020. He became Interim Dean in November of 2021 after former dean Beau Case resigned and was named Dean in 2022.