Westmont Magazine Familiar Face Takes Over as Library Director

Jana Mayfield Mullen, who began teaching in Westmont's history and religious studies departments in 2001, took over as the new director of Voskuyl Library in August. She joined the library staff in 2013 and served as co-director for the past year.

At the beginning of the semester, the library was closed to students and staff provided research assistance remotely while students checked out books and DVDs through contactless curbside pickup. “We were able to overcome the challenges and navigated a plan to empower students and faculty in their research and learning,” Mullen says. After the state limited COVID-19 restrictions in Santa Barbara County, the library reopened to students on Oct. 14.

Mullen graduated from Morris Harvey College in West Virginia, completed a Master of Divinity at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in North Carolina and a doctorate in the history of Christianity at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kentucky. She also earned a Master of Library and Information Science at the University of Kentucky.

As an adjunct professor, Mullen taught courses in European cultural history, world geography, North American religions, and world history.

“Many years ago, I was struck by a secular information scientist, who declared that providing access to information was only the beginning of the librarian’s role,” she says. “Information — even if it’s reliable — is the foundation for developing knowledge. But knowledge is most valuable when it leads to wisdom. This is our job, our purpose and our end: to participate as agents of God’s grace in the building up of knowledge and wisdom for the Kingdom of God.”