Scout Bell (they/them) — Also known as Emilia C. Bell (pronounced emi-lee-ah). Hear my name
I’m a library leader, researcher, founder, and board director working at the intersection of open knowledge production and governance, libraries, evidence-based practice, and critical disability studies. I lead teams and organisations, shape strategy, and lead open and inclusive knowledge practices across academic and not-for-profit contexts.
Currently, I serve as Manager, Research and Digital Services at Murdoch University, where I lead the strategic development of library research services, the institutional repository, and digital experience (library systems, social media, and communications). I’m part of the Library Executive team and bring a strong commitment to evidence-based practice and inclusive leadership. In previous roles, I led the development of Australia’s first Open Textbook data dashboard in universities, transitioning static reporting into an interactive dashboard suite for library and open education practitioners and academic authors.
My doctoral research at Curtin University examines open knowledge diplomacy. Specifically, I research how Australian university libraries contribute to open and collaborative scholarship on global challenges such as climate change. A strand of this research examines the governance of open scholarship through the lens of critical disability studies, asking how principles such as interdependence and ‘collective access’ might reshape the processes through which knowledge is produced and shared.
Additionally, my research on Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (EBLIP) focuses on library decision-making, value and impact, and continuous improvement. I led the development of the OPEN framework (Objective, Purpose, Evidence and Narrative), a practical and novel contribution to asking better questions and turning evidence into public value for libraries and open education.
In recognition of my professional contributions, I received the ALIA Metcalfe Award (2024) and was selected as a recipient of the Australian Institute of Company Directors’ Disability Leadership Program governance scholarship (2023), completing the Foundations of Directorship course. In 2026, I completed the AICD Company Directors Course.
Alongside my professional roles, I’m committed to community and not-for-profit leadership. I serve as a Board Director for Ballet Without Borders and previously as a Non-Executive Director on the Board of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). I’m also Co-Founder and President of the Alliance for Neurodiversity and Disability in GLAMR Professions Australia Inc. (ANDPA), a national body and ACNC-registered charity advancing disability and neurodiversity acceptance and inclusion across the GLAMR sector.