James M. Donovan

James M. Donovan serves as Library Director at the University of Kentucky's Rosenberg College of Law and holds the Dorothy Salmon Professor of Law title. He has been Director since 2010 and previously worked at University of Georgia and Tulane University law libraries. His academic background includes a J.D., Ph.D. in Anthropology, and M.L.S.

Donovan's research focuses on libraries (open access, institutional repositories), law and sexuality (same-sex marriage, religious exemptions), and legal anthropology (cultural universals, fairness models). He authored Legal Anthropology: An Introduction and co-edited Sexual Orientation and the Law. Recent work addresses AI ethics in libraries and Afghan legal pluralism.

Notable awards include AALL's Call for Papers and Spectrum Article awards. His teaching includes advanced legal research and legal anthropology at UGA's Anthropology Department. Current projects explore law library futures and cross-cultural human rights frameworks.

• Adjunct Anthropology appointments: University of Georgia
• Over 80 publications spanning law reviews, anthropology journals, and library science
• Keynote speaker on library innovation and LGBTQ+ legal history