Deep Dive in Five with Brian Leaf, Associate Dean for Student and Faculty Engagement at SJSU King Library

Brian Leaf is the new associate dean for student and faculty engagement at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Photo: Joseph Shin, ’25 Graphic Design, SJSU King Library Marketing Team. 

Earlier this summer, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library at San José State welcomed Brian Leaf as the associate dean for student and faculty engagement. Leaf, a self-described “leader and storyteller who integrates systems and design thinking to develop sustainable, person-centered processes and frameworks for mission-driven work,” comes to SJSU from the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, where he applied his leadership skills running a $6.2 million dollar National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health grant program in public health serving a multitude of organizations in the seven-state region of Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. He agreed to answer some questions about his work as a campus leader for today’s Deep Dive in Five.

Tell me about a day in the life of an associate dean for student and faculty engagement. Who and what do you support?

Brian Leaf (BL): A great university library is more than a building full of books — it’s the heartbeat of campus life and a bridge to the wider community. At San José State, the Dr. Martin Luther King,Jr. Library stands out as a place where ideas meet action: Students find support, faculty discover new partners, and the city and campus come together to learn from one another. Its value shows up in real ways — helping a student land their first research opportunity, giving a local artist space to share their story, or connecting a class project with a neighborhood need. 

As such, what I love about being in a leadership position like this is that there is no typical day. Part of my work involves serving as an associate dean of research for our library faculty, supporting their research and RSCA activities. This also entails providing strategic and operational expertise when needed for projects and programs. Making connections across campus is an important part of facilitating collaborations. We not only bring added value as potential research partners, but as a service unit, we have rich spaces and assets that other department faculty can leverage for their own projects.  

Another component to my position is enhancing the ways that our 40,000 students connect with our resources and services. What attracted me to this position is the vibrancy and innovation of King Library as a joint-use facility with the San José Public Library. As an undergraduate student once upon a time, I did not fully understand the resources I had at my fingertips. While I think people recognize how distinct King Library is with spaces like our Digital Humanities Center, I look forward to supporting engagement opportunities for students that may not have fully connected with our resources. 

Last but not least, my role includes immersing myself in the larger San José community to develop partnerships and other mutually beneficial relationships. Working across rural and urban environments in the South Central region of the United States as a grantmaker, I learned that impactful and engaging work requires being a part of the places where people live, work, and play. And there’s great opportunity for collaboration across various sectors in San José that have already started to take root in King Library. While building relationships and trust takes time, I’ve already been energized and invigorated by the people I’ve met thus far or activities in which I’ve participated. 

In your opinion, what role does King Library play in the development of SJSU students, faculty and staff?

BL: American educator John Dewey (no relation to the inventor of the Dewey Decimal System) once said, “Education is not an affair of ‘telling’ and being told, but an active and constructive process.” He envisioned teaching faculty as mentors and facilitators, rather than lecturers. And the center of that activity would be the library, where students are able to exercise agency over their own learning and self-motivated inquiry. In similar spirit, I believe SJSU King Library is uniquely situated for students and faculty to engage in that self-discovery with our unique collections and spaces like our Prototyping Lab and the new AI center on the first floor. 

We provide and connect the campus to databases, journals, and other resources that are absolutely necessary for research and academic learning. But this is also a place where ideas can take flight, where students can stoke their own curiosity without the pressures of formal class instruction. And our distinct partnership with the San José Public Library allows us to serve our campus community at every stage of life, cultivating their creative and intellectual lives before, during and after their time at SJSU. 

You can see that continuum every single day at King Library — visiting scholars conducting research in our special collections and fun programs for children on the first floor. We provide an innovative space for every phase of life, while also continuously evolving to meet the demands of students, faculty and staff. I look forward to shaping our future contributions to campus. 

What excites you about your work?

BL: I’m excited about creating the conditions where people and ideas can grow. I couldn’t keep a houseplant alive if I tried, but when it comes to organizations, I’m a gardener. I enjoy shaping systems that are sustainable, human-centered, and strong enough to support long-term success in a culture where people feel seen and supported. In public health, there has been recognition that cross-sector collaborations and systems-level action are necessary to move the need forward in improving health. Likewise, scaling the incredible work we do requires cooperation across campus and different sectors to reach its full potential.

It’s not just structural elements like a spreadsheet that lays out a workflow or individually assigned roles that enables long-term success and resilience; thriving requires a culture where open communication and integrity is valued and practiced at all levels, leadership that is strategic in how it supports initiatives with time and resources, and clear expectations coupled with shared values. Institutions can get a lot done without those things, but it can put a strain on organizational resources or even interpersonal relationships, leading to projects and programs that can’t be maintained — or worse, create legacy problems that sabotage the future. 

This is the type of design- and systems-level thinking that energizes me. It’s not easy, but it’s a challenge that I enjoy. King Library executes at an extraordinary level to serve the campus community. I’m excited to continue to build upon that work, to continue a sense of belonging for students and a sense of agency that helps our campus community feel supported and empowered. 

How do you see AI and other emerging technologies interacting with the library?

BL: Like many others, I’m carefully tracking and giving careful thought to emerging developments in the AI space and other technologies. I think of it in three broad categories or functions: how can it improve operational and administrative functions (e.g. metadata creation, rapid data analysis for decision-making), service to campus (e.g. frontfacing applications like KingbotGPT or Primo Research Assistant), and individual workflows (e.g. creating documentation, supplementing creativity, etc.). Which is also to say that if you’ve used our website or other services, you’ve likely already experienced practical use of new technologies that are both visible and invisible. 

Libraries have always been early adopters.  Likewise, here at SJSU especially, we already offer tools and workshops on a daily basis related to artificial intelligence, 3D printing, and AR/VR. We have always been a space for early experimentation and implementation, and King Library has been a leader with these developments. 

I would actually re-frame the question because using new technologies is already in our ethos. It’s not about how these technologies interact with the library; it’s how these technologies reshape and enhance how the library interacts with campus and the larger community to increase student success or foster digital equity. However, I think the best is yet to come and I’m glad to be a part of it. 

What main message would you like to share with the SJSU community?

BL: At my last institution, a medical school, we had random prompts that students could answer on post-its or whiteboards. One during finals week invited hopeful or encouraging messages to peers. I noticed one that read “in lak’ech,” which roughly translates to “you are my other me,” a Mayan principle often tied to the poem “Pensamiento Serpentino” by [Spartan alumnus] Luis Valdez, ’64 English, ’88 Honorary Doctorate. It struck me as a reminder that even in moments of pressure, competition, or exhaustion, we’re still connected. Building community, to me, isn’t about surface-level positivity — it’s about creating space where people can show up as themselves and recognize one another’s humanity, no matter the context.

Likewise, I value authentic connection and the chance to learn the stories of others, because sometimes, our interactions could benefit from more depth and connection. The challenges of life make it all the more important to invest in knowing each other’s stories and building relationships that go deeper than the task at hand. I’ve been fortunate to have mentors who modeled people-centered leadership, showing me that when we prioritize one another’s growth and well-being, we create organizations that are both resilient and effective.

That perspective shapes how I approach my role here. No two days look the same: sometimes I’m supporting faculty in their projects, sometimes I’m brainstorming ways to better serve students, and sometimes I’m out in the community. What drew me to King Library is exactly that blend—our ability to serve as a hub for discovery, a partner in research, and a place where the campus and San José community come together. The library embodies the principle of “in lak’ech”: reminding us that our work has the greatest impact when it connects people to one another and to the possibilities before them.

Are you interested in starting or strengthening a partnership with the SJSU King Library? Email brian.leaf@sjsu.edu to discuss new opportunities.