Director, Ehrhorn Law Library, Administrative Faculty

(434) 592-5300

Education

  • Ed.D., Leadership Studies, University of Lynchburg
  • M.B.A., graduate with distinction, Liberty University
  • M.A., Information Science and Learning Technologies (Library Science), University of Missouri–Columbia
  • B.A., Missions and Bible, magna cum laude, Baptist Bible College (MO)
  • Additional graduate study, Liberty University

Areas of Interest/Teaching

Library Administration; Organizational Leadership and Management; Integration of Faith and Librarianship; Theological Research; Nonprofit Organizations

Publications

  • Revisiting Strategy in a Time of Crisis, 35 LIBR. LEADERSHIP & MGMT., no. 3, 2021
  • Assessment in Academic Libraries, in 7 ENCYC. INFO. SCI. & TECH. 4823 (Mehdi Khosrow-Pour ed., 3d ed. 2015)
  • Developing an Academic Library Assessment Plan: A Case Study, 16 PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT & METRICS, 48 (2015) (with Howard Dale Tryon & Lori Beth Snyder)
  • Retooling the Profession: Librarianship in an Era of Accountability and Competition, 52 CHRISTIAN LIBR., no. 3, 2009, at 76
  • Hidden Under a Bushel? Evangelical Journals in an Era of Web-Based Communication, 51 CHRISTIAN LIBR., no. 1, 2008, at 3
  • Christian Publishing: A Panel Discussion, 51 CHRISTIAN LIBR., no. 1, 2008, at 39 (with Dennis Hillman, Mark Hunt, Jim Kinney & Jon Pott)
  • Academic Libraries in Transition: Current Trends, Future Prospects, 49 CHRISTIAN LIBR., no. 2, 2006, at 101
  • Intellectual Freedom and the Bible College Library, 3 CHRISTIAN HIGHER EDUC. 241 (2004)
  • Building Your Library Strategically, 13 BAPTIST PREACHER’S J., no. 1, 2003, at 44
  • CHRISTIAN LIBRARIANSHIP: ESSAYS ON THE INTEGRATION OF FAITH AND PROFESSION (Gregory A. Smith ed., 2002)
  • The Core Virtue of Christian Librarianship, 45 CHRISTIAN LIBR. 46 (2002)
  • The Cultural Mandate, the Pursuit of Knowledge, and the Christian Librarian, 24 CHRISTIAN LIBR. 45 (2000)
  • Preaching: A Ministry of Newness, 16 PREACHING, no. 1, 2000, at 30
  • A Philosophy of Christian Librarianship, 43 CHRISTIAN LIBR. 46 (2000)

Biography

Gregory A. Smith, Ed.D., serves as Director of the Ehrhorn Law Library. Prior to coming to the School of Law, he held management positions at a university library and a theological library. Highlights of his career have included planning for the construction of the Jerry Falwell Library, which received recognition from Library Journal; using data from surveys, focus groups, usability studies, library systems, and other sources to enhance library services; and compiling a bibliography of nearly 700 sources that address the connections between Christianity and libraries.

As implied by his diverse educational attainments, Dr. Smith has broad intellectual interests. His doctoral dissertation employed quantitative and qualitative data to assess and describe service delivery changes that arose among Virginia piedmont nonprofits due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Smith has published and presented in a variety of venues. He is committed to the ideal of integrating faith and learning across all academic and professional disciplines.

Smith enjoys working to improve an organization’s effectiveness by looking at it from different angles, including analyzing its human capital. Not surprisingly, he has taken and administered a variety of assessments. His Myers-Briggs type is ISTJ and his top CliftonStrengths talents are Learner, Intellection, Analytical, Input, and Responsibility.

Smith’s upbringing included stints in the United States, Chile, and Mexico—the source of rich linguistic, cultural, and educational experiences. He and his wife, Niki, have two adult sons. His personal interests include watching professional football and college basketball, studying and teaching the Bible, singing in his church’s worship ministry, and walking/hiking trails in the region.