Dean of Library set to leave the university

By Samantha Clark

Sharon Whitfield, Dean of Moore Library, is set to leave Rider on Oct. 14 to pursue other opportunities, according to a Sept. 28 email from Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs Kelly Bidle.

Closing her seven-year tenure at the university, Whitfield transformed the library into what it is today, a space that is “a hub for student activity and study,” according to Bidle. 

The introduction of Beanbag Alley, which added more comfortable seating and study spaces, as well as designated red, yellow and green noise zones that were set throughout the library to indicate specific silent sections, allowed the library to become a place for both work and community.

Whitfield told The Rider News that her new position stretches outside of traditional library work and focuses on curriculum development, emerging technologies and artificial intelligence, three areas that allow her to further explore preexisting interests and developments she made throughout her career. 

Although she is leaving her position as the library’s dean, Whitfield plans to remain at Rider in a part-time role, allowing her to continue working with colleagues and students that made her time at the university so fulfilling. 

“I’ve worked at a few other New Jersey institutions,” Whitfield said. “I will say that Rider has the most welcoming colleagues that I’ve ever had. They’re supportive, they champion you, they cheer you on.”

As much as the faculty impacted Whitfield, fulfilling the students’ wants and needs is what has contributed to her successful transformation of the on-campus study space. 

For example, Whitfield worked to allow athletes to complete their required study hours in the library, a concern that she turned into tangible change. 

This addition, among many others, contributed to a 19% increase in students’ library usage from September 2025 to September 2026, according to Whitfield.

“Meeting the needs of the students and driving that kind of change makes a significant difference in how they’re using the library and how to create a hub,” Whitfield said.

According to Bidle’s email, outside of the library, Whitfield worked on the Provost’s leadership team, where she made significant contributions for the classroom, technology and faculty development. 

“She was an extraordinary librarian, really up to date about electronic resources, really up to date on emerging technologies,” Bidle said in an interview with The Rider News. “I think that brought a lot to the library, and ideally, I’d like to find somebody who has some of those similar qualities.”

The university plans on conducting a national search for Whitfield’s replacement, with Dean of the Norm Brodsky College of Business Eugene Kutcher chairing the committee. 

During the national search, Bidle said she hopes to maintain Whitfield’s restoration of student activity in the library, although her impacts extended beyond the specific initiatives she introduced.

“[Whitfield] brought such a unique blend of passion and advocacy and just sort of forward thinking. All of those things were just really, really priceless to me,” Bidle said. “I’m going to miss her, and all that she brought to the table, but I’m confident we’ll find somebody who can carry that momentum.”