School of Law Mourns the Loss of Law Library Director
Matthew Braun, professor and director of the Vincent C. Immel Law Library at Saint Louis University, passed away on May 28, 2025, after a short and courageous battle with cholangiocarcinoma. He was 48 years old.
Professor Braun joined the SLU School of Law in 2023. As director, he was responsible for the overall operation, management and strategic planning of the Vincent C. Immel Law Library. He also taught in the Advanced Legal Research curriculum at the School of Law.
“Professor Braun was an exceptional librarian and director and a devoted member of our academic community,” said Twinette Johnson, dean of the School of Law. “His commitment to excellence in legal scholarship and research support touched students, faculty and staff throughout his tenure. Dean Johnson noted that Professor Braun had a rare combination of intellectual rigor and genuine warmth and referred to him as an invaluable professional resource and trusted colleague.
Before joining SLU, Professor Braun was the senior associate director for administration at the University of Illinois’ Albert E. Jenner, Jr. Memorial Law Library, responsible for management and supervision of the law library’s acquisitions, collection development and maintenance, technical services, and assessment initiatives. He served as a teaching professor in the law library at the University of Illinois College of Law, teaching Legal and Advanced Research. He also served as the head of electronic resources and special services at the University of Iowa Law Library and as a senior legal research specialist at the Law Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
Professor Braun was a featured instructor in the American Bar Association’s Continuing Legal Education series. He was also an adjunct faculty member in The Catholic University of America's Department of Library and Information Science, where he taught the Advanced Legal Research seminar and served on the Law Librarianship Program Advisory Committee.
His writings have appeared in the Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution, Law Library Journal, State Practice Materials: Annotated Bibliographies, and multiple AALL section publications.
“Professor Braun’s optimism and collaborative spirit left me – and all who worked with him – feeling confident that our library’s future was secure under his guidance,” said Johnson. “He was a wonderful thought partner for me, and I will miss him greatly.”
He leaves behind his wife, Bernadette Marie Braun (nee Smith); his parents Michael and Ann Braun; his siblings Stephen (Ali) Braun, Julie (Jared) Smolin and Kelly (Caleb) Murray among many other friends, colleagues and family members.