Summary

• Center for Research Libraries: President (2024-present)

• Library of Congress: Director for Preservation (2017–2024)

• Research Collections and Preservation Consortium (ReCAP): Executive Director (2014-2017)

• Brooklyn Historical Society: Director of Library and Archives (2012–2014)

• UCLA Library: Preservation Officer (2008–2012)

• The New York Public Library: Field Service Librarian (2005–2008) and Acting Head of Collections Care (2006–2008)

• Indiana University Libraries: Head, E. Lingle Craig Preservation Laboratory (2001–2005)

• Fort Vancouver Regional Library:  Library Assistant. (1998–2000)

• Consulting & Freelance work (2007–2017)

Center for Research Libraries: Chicago, IL

Library of Congress: Washington, DC.

Director for Preservation. (2017-2024)

The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with millions of books, films and video, audio recordings, photographs, newspapers, maps and manuscripts in its collections. The Library is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress, home of the U.S. Copyright Office, and serves as the de facto national library of the United States. I am responsible for the Preservation Directorate’s four Divisions — Collections Management, Conservation, Preservation Services, and Preservation Research and Testing — and for working with staff across the Library to provide access to a rich, diverse, and enduring source of knowledge to inform and inspire people in their intellectual and creative endeavors.

Research Collections and Preservation Consortium (ReCAP): Princeton, NJ.

Executive Director (2014-2017)
The Research Collections and Preservation Consortium (ReCAP) was created in 2000 to support its members goals of preserving their library and archival collections and making them available to researchers. ReCAP consists of a preservation repository and resource sharing services, jointly owned and operated by Columbia University, The New York Public Library, Princeton University, and Harvard University, and located on Princeton University’s Forrestal Campus. More than thirteen million items are currently in ReCAP’s care and used to fulfill approximately 250,000 requests for materials each year, from its partners and from libraries around the world.

Brooklyn Historical Society: Brooklyn, NY.

Director of Library and Archives (2012-2014)
Brooklyn Historical Society connects the past to the present and makes the vibrant history of Brooklyn tangible, relevant, and meaningful for today’s diverse communities, and for generations to come. Founded in 1863, Brooklyn Historical Society is a nationally recognized urban history center dedicated to preserving and encouraging the study of Brooklyn’s extraordinary 400-year history.  Located in Brooklyn Heights and housed in a magnificent landmark building designed by George Post and opened in 1881, today’s BHS is a cultural hub for civic dialogue, thoughtful engagement and community outreach. The Othmer Library serves the mission of the Brooklyn Historical Society by supporting research into the history of Brooklyn and Long Island and by collecting, preserving, and promoting access to our library and archival materials. The Library’s collections foster and enrich BHS’ exhibits, education activities, and programming.

• Responsible for all operations of BHS Othmer Library.

• Supervise 6 FTE staff, plus interns and volunteers.

• Develop and, with the President of BHS, implement  fund-raising and revenue plans.

• Work with BHS senior staff to  develop BHS’ cross-institutional initiatives.

UCLA Library: Los Angeles, CA.

Preservation Officer. (2008-2012)
The Preservation Department supports the entire UCLA Library system through a broad set of services include conservation of rare books and manuscripts, stabilization and re-housing of collections, repair and binding of circulating collections, environmental optimization, disaster planning and response, digitization of at-risk materials in all formats, and general preservation planning and needs assessment. The UCLA Library is consistently ranked in the top 10 research libraries in the United States, with a collection of over 9 million volumes and annual expenditures for library materials of approximately $15 million, and is home to an expansive array of rare and unique holdings that range from cuneiform tablets to born digital records.

• Appointed as the founding Preservation Officer for the UCLA Library.

• Re-organized existing resources and raised funds to develop a Preservation Department that consists of 6 full-time staff, supports internships and training programs for approximately 10 students per year, and has annual expenditures of approximately $1 million.

• Work with stakeholders across the UCLA Campus, the University of California system, and other consortium and membership groups to develop effective policies and procedures for the stewardship of collections in all formats.

• Serve on the Library Digitization Partners and University of California Mass Digitization groups, facilitating large-scale digitization projects with the Internet Archive and Google.

• Serve on the WEST Operations and Collections Council, managing the implementation of the Mellon-funded WEST project, a multi-institutional collaborative print archiving project.

• Develop new areas of work in partnership with faculty, curators, and students, such as research data curation and digital humanities research; cultivate the library as a field research and internship site; and support research and teaching related to preservation, book history and material culture, and library and archives science.

• As member of the UCLA Library Management Council, composed of the directors, department heads, and senior managers of the Library, develop and implement library policy and procedures and work with Library senior management to develop strategic plans.

• As member of the Library Office of Research Administration, develop, assess, and oversee externally funded projects across all Library units.

• As member of the Library Collections Council, develop collecting policies and manage $80,000 in book funds for a program of identifying books that are scarcely held in the global library system and acquire them from secondary market and antiquarian booksellers.

• As member of the Technical Services Council and Technical Process Workflows Task Force, develop and assess enterprise-wide policy and procedures for acquiring, cataloging, and caring for the Library’s collections.

The New York Public Library: New York, NY.

Field Service Librarian (2005-2008) and
Acting Head of Collections Care (2006-2008)
The Preservation Division’s Field Services and Collections Care program supports every division of the five Research Libraries of The New York Public Library, as well as special collections in the Branch Libraries, and the ReCAP high-density storage facility in Princeton, NJ, which is shared with Princeton and Columbia University. The New York Public Library is one of the world’s foremost research collections, with collections totaling over 50 million items in every format, annual collection expenditures of approximately $30 million, and serving more than 16 million patrons each year.

• Served as the first Field Service Librarian for the NYPL and Acting Head of the Collections Care Unit within the Barbara Goldsmith Preservation Division.

• Performed preservation assessments and implemented services for the Schwarzman Humanities and Social Sciences Library at 42nd street, the Library for Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the Science, Industry and Business Library.

• Provided disaster planning and response, environmental monitoring, pest management and preservation assessment services for all sites, including a first of its kind business continuity plan for ReCAP, a high-density library and archives storage facility.

• Led research projects in environmental optimization for all sites, to create better conservation environments and reduced energy costs.

• Trained staff and provided information sessions in all divisions on preservation issues and emergency response procedures.

• Presented classes for the public on preservation issues for personal collections, and the materiality and history of books and other media.

• Managed and expanded operations of the NYPL Collections Care program to include automated enclosures production, collections conservation, stabilization of collections, stacks cleaning, and mold remediation, as well as Field Services.

• Supervised 4FTE staff and created internship and practicum opportunities for LIS graduate students.

Indiana University Libraries: Bloomington, IN. 

Head, E. Lingle Craig Preservation Laboratory (2001-2005) and
Brittle Books Coordinator (2000-2001)
The Craig Preservation Laboratory supports libraries and archives across the Indiana University, Bloomington Campus. The Craig Lab consists of a major conservation laboratory that performs single-item conservation of rare books and manuscripts, stabilization and re-housing of collections, repair and binding of circulating collections, and is the home of the Indiana University Libraries’ preservation program, responsible for environmental optimization, disaster planning and response, and general preservation planning and needs assessment. Indiana University Libraries are consistently ranked among the top 20 research libraries in the United States, with a collection of over 7 million volumes and annual expenditures for library materials of approximately $14 million, and is home to the Lilly Library, one of the foremost rare book and manuscript libraries in the United States.

• As first Head of the Craig Preservation Laboratory, supervised 10FTE staff, including 2 conservators, 4 technicians, and 10-15 students plus project staff.

• Assisted with a successful endowment proposal to the Andrew Mellon Foundation, Ruth Lilly, the Craig family, and other private sources to support staff lines and programmatic funds for preservation, leading to the architectural design, program planning, and construction of the E. Lingle Craig Preservation Lab and the Ruth Lilly Auxiliary Library Facility.

• Oversaw the design and construction of the Craig Preservation Lab and assisted with the design and construction of the Ruth Lilly Auxiliary Library Facility.

• Expanded the preservation program to provide automated enclosures production, digital reformatting, mass deacidification, and disaster preparedness and response, in addition to comprehensive conservation services for general and special collections.

• Worked with the Digital Library Program to develop digital preservation strategies and digitization services for all Library collections.

• Member of the Task Force charged with the design and development of the Libraries’ website and intranet, including user interfaces and content management system.

• Worked with faculty to develop internship programs and research projects related to preservation, book history and material culture, and library and archives science.

• Represented Indiana on the Committee on Institutional Cooperation Library Preservation Group, a grant-making collaboration between the CIC libraries that received federal funding for six multi-year reformatting projects.

• As member of Management Group, set library policy and strategy.

• As member of the Collections Council, developed collecting policies and managed funds.

• As member of the Technical Services Council, developed and assessed policy and procedures for acquiring, cataloging, and caring for the collections.

• As Brittle Books Coordinator, managed digital and micrographic reformatting, including projects supported by the NEH Brittle Books Program.

Fort Vancouver Regional Library: Vancouver, WA

Library Assistant. (1998-2000)

Fort Vancouver Regional Library District was established in 1950 as the first inter-county rural library district in Washington state. FVRL gives residents access to professional information services staff and a collection of over 721,000 books, magazines, video and audio recordings. The district includes over 450,000 users spread over 4,200 square miles that includes farm, open range and national forest lands, communities along the Columbia River, small towns and expanding urban and industrial areas.

• Provided circulation and reference services to patrons.

• Shelved materials, maintained stacks, and assisted with library events.

• Managed local government documents and inter-branch collection rotation program.

CONSULTING & FREELANCE WORK

• Ohio State University Library. Columbus, OH. (Feb. – July, 2017) Development of a strategic document evaluating the viability of operating a storage and fulfillment center for library collections that will serve the University’s mission and support Ohio’s statewide needs for efficient storage, management, and sharing of research library collections.

• Newton Free Public Library. Newton, MA. (Sept. 2009 – June 2010) Technical advisor for the development of a digital library program. Advised on selection, configuration, and operation of digital library software; developed guidelines for digitization services and evaluated vendor proposals; advised on technical and descriptive metadata; evaluated digital preservation plan.

• Private Client. Los Angeles, CA. (July – August, 2009) Assisted the client with assessment of environmental conditions in a private library.

• California State University: Dominguez Hills, San Bernardino, and Long Beach campuses. (June, 2009) Performed condition surveys of the archives and special collections, consulted with staff on special collections preservation and management, and under the auspices of the California Preservation Program, prepared reports for the Council of Library Directors on preservation priorities and fund-raising opportunities across the CSU system.

• Private Client. New York, NY. (March, 2007) Assisted with selection and preparation of materials for a retrospective exhibit about the client’s life as a leader in the arts and philanthropy.

• Glenn Horowitz Bookseller, Inc. New York, NY. (Various engagements, 2007-2008) Consultation on condition of materials, repair and housings, mold remediation.

• Rice High School, New York, NY. (December, 2007) Conducted a collection survey of the archives and library, prepared guidelines for digitization, and cost estimates for rehousing, repair, and digitization services.