Welcome, Li Ma!

CDL is very pleased to welcome Li Ma as Assistant Director of Systemwide Licensing! Li begins this management position in Shared Collections on February 9, 2026. 

Li brings extensive academic library experience spanning licensing, budgeting, and technical services, which has prepared her well for her new role at CDL. Most recently serving as Associate Director for Content & Discovery at Duke University’s Medical Center Library, she led an integrated department responsible for collection development, technical services, and access services. Her achievements include negotiating numerous contracts with favorable terms and partnering with the main campus library to implement a new library system and launch a new course reserve service, while continuously driving workflow improvements and staff development.

Throughout her career, Li has developed strong expertise across the complete resource lifecycle. Her experience managing electronic resources in large, complex, multi-campus environments has provided valuable perspective on the scale and interdependencies of resource management. She previously served as e-Resource & Serials Librarian at the University of South Carolina, where she led lifecycle management of extensive electronic journal portfolios across multiple campuses and consortia, focusing on workflow efficiency, optimization, and staff training.

Li brings deep expertise with integrated library systems, having successfully led various components of several system implementations including Alma at multiple institutions. She continuously leverages these systems to drive ongoing workflow improvements and operational efficiency.

Li is committed to staff development through shared problem-solving, knowledge exchange, and continuous learning. She creates opportunities for cross-functional collaboration that expand expertise and enhance user experience while providing consistent mentoring and support.

An active contributor to the professional library community, Li’s professional interests include collection development and management, scholarly communication, and team and staff development.

In her free time, Li enjoys reading, hiking, and cooking.

We are excited that Li is joining CDL and look forward to working with her.