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Dr. Tasha L. Youmans
Chief Librarian, Dean of the Library & Learning Resources Center, Assistant Professor
Office Location: Carl S. Swisher Library
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B.S., Library and Information Science, University of Southern Mississippi, December 1999.
M.L.I.S., University of Southern Mississippi, August 2002.
Ph.D., Leadership in Higher Education, Capella University, December, 2009
Brief Biographical Sketch
Dr. Lucas-Youmans was born and raised in Tylertown, Mississippi. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi in Library and Information Science, and the Doctorate of Education degree in Leadership in Higher Education from Capella University. Upon her arrival to Bethune-Cookman University in 2005, she served as Bibliographic Instructor/Reference Librarian prior to being named the Interim Library Director. She was promoted to Library Director in July 2006 and appointed Dean of Libraries in 2013. As Dean, she is responsible for the main campus library and the Hastings Library, the B-CU Archives, the Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation, and the Harvey Lee Art Gallery.
Dr. Lucas-Youmans has also guided the growth of the library’s e-collection. As cited in a 2014 News Journal article, removing a number of books allowed the library to reorganize the flow and aesthetics of the library. With the addition of e-books, more students are able to access material without having to wait on another to return the book. However, she is most proud of the growth of the library’s archival division and the digitization of the archives pre-1970’s collection that is available through the Central Florida Memory Project. Under Dr. Lucas-Youmans’ leadership, the Carl S. Swisher Library has acquired several grants: a $250,000 Jessie Ball DuPont Fund award for Integrated Environmental Science (IES) resource purchases as well as a $45,000 grant provided by Lyrasis for the HBCU Photographic Preservation Project. (The History of Florida’s Four HBCU Libraries, 2012) She is the proud mother of a son, Tye Lucas Youmans, and has two younger siblings. When not at work, she enjoys being a soccer mom, reading and being involved in various community service projects. Dr. Lucas-Youmans serves on the Board of Directors for the HBCU Library Alliance as an At-Large Member and is a Board Member for the Volusia County Literacy Council. She is also an active member of the Daytona Beach Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the Daytona Beach Chapter of the Links, Inc.
Presentations
“ITAP: Getting A Lot Out of A Little” Co-Presenter at the International Society for Exploring Teaching and Learning Annual Conference 2004, Baltimore, Maryland.
“Marketing Library Services” Co-Presenter at the HBCU Library Alliance Leadership Institute, April 2006, Atlanta, Georgia.
“Bethune-Cookman University’s Photographic Preservation Project” Presenter at the HBCU Library Alliance Bi-Annual Meeting, October 21, 2012, New Orleans, LA.
“Leading the Way: Bethune-Cookman University’s Photographic Preservation Project”-Presenters: Dr. Tasha Lucas-Youmans, Dean of Libraries, Bethune-Cookman University (FL); Dr. Ashley Robertson, Curator/Director of the Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation; Joseph Campbell, Reference Librarian, Bethune-Cookman University (FL), October 28, 2014, Online Webinar
“Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune: The Woman and her Vision”, Co-Presenter with Daisy Grimes, at 10 a.m. Monday, May 20, at the Daytona Beach Regional Library, 105 E.
“Florida Educator was born the daughter of slaves. She died a retired college president.” [News Interview], Palm Beach Post, February 10, 2020.
“A Look Back at Mary McLeod Bethune’s Life As Bethune-Cookman University Looks To The Future” [Interview], 90.7 WMFE, March 30, 2020.
“A Conversation About Mary McLeod Bethune” [Interview], The People’s Voice, Joy 106.3, November 9, 2020.
