Mary Francis

Mary Francis serves as Director of the Library, Professor, and Faculty Ombudsperson at Dakota State University. She holds a Ed.D. in Educational Administration and Leadership (University of South Dakota, 2023), M.S. in Technology in Education & Training (University of South Dakota, 2013), M.A. in Library & Information Systems (University of Iowa, 2006), and B.A. in English (Franciscan University, 2004).

Her research focuses on enhancing student success through library initiatives, supporting neurodiverse students, and addressing data privacy challenges in educational systems. Notable contributions include developing PriLab (Privacy Research Lab) and analyzing privacy policies across international library ethics codes.

Recent grants include a 2024 Libraries Transforming Communities grant ($5,000) and 2021 ARPA grant supporting rural libraries. She has presented widely on topics like AI in information literacy, social media strategies for libraries, and privacy curricula development.

• Awards: 2010 South Dakota Library Association New Librarian of the Year
• Labs/Teams: Leads the Privacy Research Lab (PriLab) focusing on data privacy in educational contexts