Leslie Burger

Leslie Burger has directed the Princeton Public Library since 1999. From 1999-2004, Leslie planned and funded the new 58,000 square foot Princeton Public Library, which opened to great community excitement in April 2004. After decades of bickering and inactivity, she built partnerships with civic and community leaders and convinced donors to contribute $21 million to the library’s capital and endowment campaigns. Leslie raised the profile of the library by challenging her community’s notion of what a public library is all about and redefining what the public library means for local residents.

In 1991, Leslie also founded her consulting firm, Library Development Solutions. In her consulting practice, Leslie has guided more than 100 urban, suburban, and rural public libraries, academic and special libraries, state libraries, and single and multi-type library cooperatives across the US in strategic planning, space needs assessments, evaluation, and program implementation. Among her clients are the Reader’s Digest Foundation, New York University Libraries, NY Comprehensive Research Libraries Group, East Orange (NJ) Public Library, Flint and Genesee (MI) District Libraries, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation (MI), Palm Beach County Library System (FL), the Darien Public Library (CT), The Office of Commonwealth Libraries (PA), the Council on Foreign Relations (NY), SOLINET (GA), SEFLIN (FL), the Florida Library Association, The Live Oak Public Libraries (GA) and Rangeview Library District (CO).

Before joining the Princeton Public Library, Leslie served as a development consultant at the New Jersey State Library where she worked on leadership and marketing initiatives on behalf of the state’s libraries. She served as Executive Director of the Central Jersey Regional Library Cooperative, a multii-type library cooperative serving a three county area. She also worked at the Connecticut State Library as the LSTA Coordinator, Director of Planning and Research, and Director of Network Services. Her library career began at the Bridgeport ( Ct.) Public Library when she was hired to develop a community information and referral service.

Recognized as an accomplished speaker, writer, and consultant, on staff development, planning and evaluation, organizational development and library futures, Leslie is also a sought after spokesperson in the media on issues related to the implementation of CIPA, the future of libraries, revitalizing downtown areas, and fundraising.  During her ALA Presidency Leslie will focus her efforts issues related to how libraries can transform the communities they serve.

Leslie is the president-elect of the American Library Association. She will serve as ALA president beginning in July 2006 through June 2007. Leslie served as president of ALA’s Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (1996-1997), the New Jersey Library Association (2001-2002), and the Connecticut Library Association (1982-83), and as an ALA Chapter Councilor. She has served on many ALA committees and task forces since she joined the association in 1976 including ALA’s Better Salaries and Pay Equity Task Force, the ALA APA Pay Equity Committee, ALA Council, the SRRT Action Council, the Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship, the Public Awareness Committee,and the ALA Awards Committee.

Leslie attended library school at the University of Maryland in College Park and also has a master’s degree in organizational behavior from the University of Hartford.

She received the Princeton YWCA Tribute to Women Award in 2003, The New York Times Librarian Award for 2004, and was honored as the University of Maryland's CLIS Alumna of the Year in 2005.

Leslie lives with Alan, her husband of 33 years and partner in Library Development Solutions in Princeton Junction, NJ.  She has three children, Jessica, a sophmore at Dickinson College, Sarah, a graduate of Dickinson College and currently a gallery assistant in NYC and Benjamin, a graduate of Emory and Cardozo Law School, an attorney in NYC. In her free time she loves to read (surprise!), garden, travel, cook, and entertain friends and family.

Career Highlights

Leslie B. Burger

Offices Held:

President-elect American Library Association, 2005-2006

President, New Jersey Library Association, 2001 - 2002
President, Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies, 1995 -1996
President, Connecticut Library Association 1982 - 1983
Member of the American Library Association’s Council, 2002 - date
Connecticut Chapter Councilor, American Library Association Council, 1984 -1987
Connecticut Chapter Representative, New England Library Association, 1979 – 1981
Chair, Independent Librarians Exchange Round Table, 1998 - 2000
Chair, State Library Agency Section, Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies, 1981 -1982

Committees and Roundtables (recent only):

Chair, ALA Awards Committee, 2002 – 2004
Chair, Marshall Cavendish Excellence in Library Programming Award, 2004-2005
Chair, Melvil Dewey Medal Jury, 2000 - 2001
Member, Better Salaries and Pay Equity Task Force, 2001-2003
Member, ALA-APA, Standing Committee on Salaries and the Status of Library Workers, 2004-2006
Member ALA, PIO Public Awareness Committee, 2000 -2004
Member, Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship, 1991-1993
Member, SRRT Action Council
Member of many other ALA, ASCLA, NJLA and CLA Committees
Member of the American Library Association since 1976

Professional Experience:

Director, Princeton (NJ) Public Library 1999 - date
Director of the Princeton Public Library, a community library serving 32,000 people with an annual budget of $3.7 million. Recent accomplishments include:

• Negotiated agreements to construct a new 62,000 square foot library, opened in April 2004
• Raised funds for the building and endowment campaigns in excess of $21 million
• Increased library funding by 57 percent over the last five years
• Expanded marketing and public relations resulting in 50 percent increase in library use

Established community forums to discuss critical issues such as the war in Iraq, the US Patriot Act, Internet filtering, censorship and copyright, the elections.

Principal, Library Development Solutions (LDS), Princeton Junction, NJ 1991 - date

• Founded library consulting business which assists libraries of all types with long-range and strategic planning, program evaluation and development, facility assessments, organizational redesign, community needs assessment, and staff development.
• Worked with more than 100 public, academic, special, school and multi-type library cooperatives in 15 states projects including library mergers, statewide library development, strategic planning, school and public library collaborations, facility assessments and space recommendations, and library service redesign.

Project Specialist and Head of Library Development, New Jersey State Library, Trenton, NJ 1988-91

• Developed the New Jersey Library Leadership Institute
• Initiated adult literacy programs
• Coordinated statewide continuing education activities with other library providers to provide greater variety for training and skills development, led library advocacy efforts to increase funding for the state’s libraries, developed a marketing and promotion campaign for the New Jersey Library Network.

Network Director, Connecticut State Library, Hartford, Ct. 1985-1987

• Conceptualized and founded the Connecticut Library Information Network, a technology program to encourage resource sharing among libraries

Planning Director, Connecticut State Library, Hartford, Ct. 1977 - 1985

• Led state planning efforts resulting in new consensus based statewide library programs.

Library Specialist, Connecticut State Library, Hartford, Ct. 1976-1977

• Developed annual and long range plans for the expenditure of federal library funds.

Community Information Specialist, Bridgeport Public Library, Bridgeport, Ct. 1974 – 1976

• Developed a community information and referral service for this urban public library
• Built collaborative partnerships between library staff and 50+ community agencies.

Education:

MS, Organizational Behavior, University of Hartford, 1988
MLS, University of Maryland College Park, 1974
BS, Cum Laude, Southern Connecticut State College, 1973