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.