Lunch with the Libraries & Museums - Reimagining Eisenhower Library

Elisabeth M. Long is dean of the Sheridan Libraries and University Museums. In this role, she provides strategic leadership for library services across the six Sheridan Libraries and chairs the University Library Directors Council (LDC), fostering collaboration and alignment of library operations across all Johns Hopkins schools. She also oversees the university’s two historic museums, Homewood Museum and Evergreen Museum & Library. Long maintains an active national leadership portfolio, serving on the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) Board of Directors, the HELIOS Open Advisory Council, and the APTrust Governing Board, and she contributed to the ARL/CNI AI Scenario Planning Task Force.

Before joining Johns Hopkins, Long spent more than two decades at the University of Chicago Library. She served as associate university librarian for information technology and digital scholarship, and from December 2021 to April 2022 was interim library director and university librarian. She began her career at Chicago in 1993 and was named an Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Leadership Fellow in 2018–19. She holds a BA from St. John’s College, an MLIS from the University of Maryland, and an MFA in book and paper arts from Columbia College Chicago.

Cecilia Etzel is director of library facilities and planning for the Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries and University Museums, where she leads building operations and capital projects across six historic and academic properties. She is a driving force behind the $185 million modernization of the Milton S. Eisenhower Library, leading the project from feasibility and state grant acquisition through design, construction, and the intricate multi‑year process of relocating and safeguarding more than a million library materials. Her leadership has also shaped major upgrades, from high‑density storage expansions to historic restorations recognized with Baltimore Heritage Preservation Awards.

With more than 20 years of experience in construction and facilities management, including prior roles with The Whiting‑Turner Contracting Company, Etzel brings deep expertise in large‑scale project delivery, historic preservation, and mission‑critical infrastructure upgrades. She holds a B.S.E. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Princeton University and a Master of Education from Hawaii Pacific University, graduating with distinction.