Roles
Executive Director, Louis Calder Memorial Library
Associate Dean, Health Science Information Services, University Libraries
-
Biography
Kimberly Ann Loper, MLIS, AHIP serves as Associate Dean for Health Information and Executive Director of the Louis Calder Medical Library at the University of Miami. With more than two decades of service within the University Libraries, her career reflects a sustained commitment to leadership, innovation, and advancing the role of libraries in education, research, and patient care.
Since her appointment in 2022, she has provided strategic and operational leadership for all aspects of the Medical Library, including financial management, personnel, facilities, policy development, and assessment. She holds a faculty appointment within the University Libraries and maintains a dual reporting structure to both the Dean of Libraries and the Miller School of Medicine’s Dean. Her leadership ensures that the library remains a vital partner in supporting the academic, clinical, and research missions of the institution.
Professor Loper’s career trajectory—from staff member to faculty leader—has given her a comprehensive understanding of library operations across departments. She is known for her collaborative leadership style, dedication to mentoring, and focus on empowering teams to perform at a high level. Her work has consistently emphasized aligning library services with user needs, particularly in academic medicine, where access to high-quality information directly impacts patient outcomes and research advancement.
Her contributions include major initiatives in space modernization, where she led renovations that significantly increased student study capacity and enhanced user-centered design. She has also played a key role in advancing scholarly communication through participation in transformative open access agreements, helping expand equitable access to research outputs. In research support, she co-developed innovative approaches to bibliometric analysis, incorporating automation and APIs to significantly improve efficiency and accuracy in institutional research reporting.
Nationally, Professor Loper is deeply engaged with the Medical Library Association (MLA), where she has held leadership roles on the Academy of Health Information Professionals Credentialing Committee and as Chair of the Professional Recruitment and Retention Committee. Her contributions include reviewing professional portfolios, shaping development guidelines, and advancing initiatives to strengthen the pipeline into the profession. She has also served on the prestigious Janet Doe Lectureship Jury.
Regionally, she is an active member and current co-chair of the Florida Collaboration of Academic Libraries of Medicine (FCALM), a consortium that leverages collective purchasing power to achieve significant cost savings and resource sharing across institutions.
Within the University of Miami, she has contributed to governance and strategic initiatives, including co-chairing the University Libraries Strategic Plan Activation Team. In this role, she helped guide the refinement and implementation of strategic priorities, including integrating DEAI initiatives and aligning library efforts with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
She has supported the development of early-career librarians and contributed to faculty initiatives within the Miller School of Medicine. Her scholarly and professional interests include disaster health information, research impact, and the evolving role of libraries in data and evidence-based practice.
Professor Loper holds the Distinguished Member credential in the Academy of Health Information Professionals and continues to pursue advanced professional development. Her work is grounded in a deep commitment to service, innovation, and the transformative impact of libraries in advancing health and knowledge. -
Education & Training
Education
Licensures and Certifications
-
Honors & Awards
No result found