Max Yela has been Head of the Special Collections Department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries since 1994. Prior to this, he was the public services librarian for Special Collections at the University of Delaware, 1985-1994. Besides being an adjunct instructor in the UWM School of Information Studies, Yela also taught book arts concepts and practice in the UWM Department of Art & Design from 2004 to 2015. His main research interests are in media theory and the effects of media on human cognition. His research includes history of the book as a media presence in human cultures, art mediation, and especially the book as an art medium. Yela has been active in the Wisconsin arts community for over 20 years, and was honored for his contributions with a 2017 Wisconsin Visual Art Achievement Award.
