Edwin-Michael Cortez (December 16, 1951 – October 6, 2018) was a library science professor and director of the School of Information Sciences at theUniversity of Tennessee.^[1][2]

Edwin-Michael Cortez
Ed Cortez
Born	(1951-12-16)December 16, 1951 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	October 6, 2018(2018-10-06) (aged 66)
Alma mater	Wagner College University of Arizona University of Southern California

Cortez was born inNew York City the son of Michael and Cecilia (Vasquez) Cortez. He graduated fromWagner College in 1972, received his Master of Library Science from University of Arizona in 1973 and Doctor of Philosophy in Information Science and Management Communication from theUniversity of Southern California in 1980.^[2]

Cortez was a professor atUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison for 17 years and was acting dean ofCatholic University of America. He joined theUniversity of Tennessee faculty in 2005 where he served as professor and Director for 11 years, retiring at the end of 2016.^[3]

He was an early automation consultant, helping library systems such as Ann Arbor Public Library, California State Library and the Connecticut State University System, evaluate and implement circulation, database and online catalog systems in the 1980s.^[4]

Cortez worked on the overlapping of information technology, organizational communication, and organizational effectiveness. He used ethnographic and social network theories to inform information technology design and management. He was the principal investigator for three years on theUSDA's project, the REEIS initiative (Research, Education & Economic Information Systems) which aimed to "build a comprehensive web-based information system in the field of agriculture."^[1]