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