Donald A. Ackley, 58; Guided Modernization of OCC’s Library

Donald A. Ackley, who led the Orange Coast College library’s transition from the paper era to the electronic, died of cancer Saturday. He was 58.

Ackley was named dean of the Library and Media Services department in 1986, and immediately embarked on a program to computerize the library, expand its collection of books and other media, and introduce electronic databases of journals and newspapers, the college said in announcing Ackley’s death.

Ackley also established a rare-books collection and launched the college’s inaugural Web site more than 10 years ago.

Ackley’s role extended to the college’s administration, where he served on a variety of management committees and as acting dean of the business and literature and languages divisions.

The son of a military father, Ackley, who was born in Yuma, Ariz., lived in more than a half-dozen states before the family settled in Southern California.

His college career was similarly wide-ranging. Ackley began studying engineering at Case Institute of Technology (now Case Western Reserve University) in Cleveland, then forestry at Fullerton College before pursuing a history major at Cal State Fullerton.

“After realizing that I was basically interested in nearly every subject area, I concluded that the best place to be was in a library,” Ackley wrote in an autobiographical sketch.

After earning a master’s degree in library science at USC in 1971, Ackley took a job covering night, weekend and holiday shifts at the OCC library. Fourteen years later, he was named dean, a position he held at the time of his death.

The same wide-ranging interests that marked his college studies were a hallmark of his later years. In his free time, Ackley wrote that he liked to conduct genealogical search-es, go bird-watching and pursue photography. He also enjoyed books, movies, music, plays and “all things science,” as well as woodworking and gardening.

“It should be obvious that I have a hard time focusing on any one topic for too long,” he wrote, “but let me assure you that I have fun trying.”

Ackley is survived by his wife, Claudia Jackson.