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07/28/2015
By Ed Brennen

As the new Program and Project Coordinator for the , it鈥檚 no surprise that Mehmed Ali brings strong organizational skills.

It鈥檚 how he honed those skills that鈥檚 so noteworthy.

Ali, a Lowell native and former director of the Lowell National Historical Park's Mogan Cultural Center, worked for the U.S. State Department in Baghdad, Iraq, and Afghanistan from 2008 to 2013. Ali鈥檚 job in Iraq was to write grants and manage projects for historic preservation, city planning and emergency management 鈥� a job made all the more harrowing inside the chaotic war zone. He was in Baghdad in September 2009 when a series of car bombs killed 155 people and injured more than 700.

鈥淲e needed to figure out how to make some things happen very quick to help get core functions of the Iraqi government back online,鈥� Ali recalls of the bombings鈥� aftermath. 鈥淚t really honed my organizational skills. You had to move quick when there was a need.鈥�

Ali expects to put those organizational skills to work as he helps continue the transformation of the university鈥檚 libraries, which include O鈥橪eary Library on South Campus, Lydon Library on North and the Center for Lowell History, located downtown. That transformation includes creating access to top-notch collections in both digital and print forms, while reconfiguring existing space to promote active learning, study and research.

鈥淚 see the library, and really the university as a whole, as bringing a knowledge base out there to individuals, which can have a positive effect on society 鈥� whether it鈥檚 building the economy or helping people understand each other,鈥� Ali says. 鈥淭he library serves the community.鈥�

A new chapter

In his new role, Ali says his prime responsibility is to be an advocate for the library as a whole, working with the staff to 鈥渆nsure everyone is finding the resources they need to make things happen.鈥澛�

鈥淲e have really one of the greatest staffs, so that makes everything so easy,鈥� says Ali, who is in the process of 鈥渄ownloading鈥� their knowledge, experience and ideas for the future to assess the libraries鈥� long-term strategic plan.

鈥淲e need to have the classical core functionality for the library, which is the same today as it was 50 years ago, but we also need to figure out how to tap into the digital realm to best help students succeed,鈥� says Ali, who is working closely with the Information Technology department to evaluate potential digital applications, including those that would expedite the interlibrary loan process. The libraries currently have about 225,000 print volumes and another 125,000 ebooks.

As part of the Boston Library Consortium, Ali says the university will benefit from the launch of a new project called the (https://www.blc.org/special-highlights/eastern-academic-scholars%E2%80%99-trust-east) Eastern Academic Scholars鈥� Trust (EAST), which is designed to ensure that even infrequently used print materials are retained and readily available for faculty and students across the Northeast through multi-library collaborative arrangements.

Ali鈥檚 new boss, Libraries Director George Hart, says the staff is 鈥渢hrilled鈥� to have him join the team.

"Mehmed brings an 'all-in' dedication to new library projects and programs,鈥� Hart says. 鈥淗is intense commitment to history, community and scholarship will help the library become even more of a key resource for student and faculty success."

At O鈥橪eary Library, which was transformed into the O鈥橪eary Learning Commons in 2012, Ali says the focus is on bringing back books.

鈥淚 think the Learning Commons was an excellent idea, but I think there鈥檚 also been a need to bring some level of books back to O鈥橪eary for faculty and students,鈥� says Ali, who notes that David Wunsch, emeritus professor of electrical and computer engineering, has been a key donor for the purchase of new books.

At Lydon Library, meanwhile, the challenge is how to best utilize the space as part of the new Innovation Corridor between the Saab Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center (ETIC) and the upcoming Pulichino Tong Business Building.

鈥淲e鈥檙e very excited to have the new business school next to us. It鈥檚 a real growth area for the library,鈥� says Ali, who was born and raised just down the street in the city鈥檚 Pawtucketville neighborhood.

Global perspective

When he was 20, Ali traveled to Turkey to research his family roots, an experience that led him to take his grandfather鈥檚 name and convert to Islam. He then joined the Marines and served for six years at the Pearl Harbor Naval Base, earning his bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees in political science from the University of Hawaii along the way.聽

Ali returned to his hometown and delivered mail for five years, gradually building community connections that led to him becoming the first director of the Mogan Center, as well as president of the Lowell Historical Society. In 2006, he earned his Ph.D. in history from the University of Connecticut and two years later he was in Baghdad writing grants for the State Department.

Ali remained in Iraq for four years, until 2012, when he moved on to a new assignment in Afghanistan. He spent one year there working with a provincial reconstruction team, overseeing health care, education and infrastructure projects.

鈥淚 realized the role government can play in having a positive impact on people鈥檚 lives,鈥� says Ali, who became an adjunct faculty member in the history department upon his return from the Middle East in 2014. 鈥淲hen I came back last year, it was really amazing to see how much the university has transformed the city.鈥�

And now he gets to be part of that transformation through his work with the libraries.聽

鈥淚t鈥檚 great to be home,鈥� he says.