Leslie Burger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President of the American Library Association | |
| In office 2006–2007 | |
| Preceded by | Michael Gorman |
| Succeeded by | Loriene Roy |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Librarian |
Leslie B. Burger is the interim Executive Director of the American Library Association. [1] She is an American librarian who served for sixteen years as the executive director of the Princeton Public Library. [2] She was president of the American Library Association from 2006 to 2007. [2]
After growing up in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Burger obtained a Bachelor's degree from Southern Connecticut State College in 1973, a Master of Library Science from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1974, and a master's in organizational behavior from the University of Hartford in 1988. [3] [4] [5] Burger held a number of positions in planning and library development, including at the Bridgeport Public Library, the Connecticut State Library and the New Jersey State Library. [3]
From 1999 to 2015, Burger was the executive director of the Princeton Public Library, where she led the library in the design, construction, and opening of a new building as well as development efforts resulting in more than $25 million in private funding. [2] [5]
Along with her husband Alan, Burger is the founder and owner of Library Development Solutions, a consulting firm where she provides guidance to libraries on strategic planning, space-assessments, building programs, and program evaluation and implementation. [2] [3] She also works as a part time lecturer at the Rutgers University School of Communication and Information, where she designed and teaches a course on transformative library leadership. [6]
In 2023 Burger was appointed interim Executive Director of the American Library Association. [7]
Burger served as president of the American Library Association from 2006 to 2007, concentrating her efforts on initiatives focused on how libraries need to transform to serve their communities. [8]
As president Burger represented ALA in challenging the Federal Bureau of Investigation over the access to patron records enabled by the USA PATRIOT Act. [9] [10] She also testified before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on the issue of closing Environmental Protection Agency libraries. [11]
During her presidency she launched the organization's "Emerging Leaders" program, [12] dedicated to providing leadership opportunities to new library professionals. [13] [14]
Burger was president of the Connecticut Library Association in 1982 [15] and president of the New Jersey Library Association from 2001 to 2002. [16]
She was named the University of Maryland College of Information Studies Alumnus of the Year in 2005. [3]
The New Jersey Library Association named Burger their 2017 Librarian of the Year. [6]
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world.
Robert Wedgeworth is an American librarian who was the founding President of ProLiteracy Worldwide, an adult literacy organization. He is also a former executive director of the American Library Association, served as president of IFLA, served as Dean of the School of Library Service at Columbia University, and was university librarian at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has also authored and edited several major reference works, and has won many awards over the course of his career. In 2021 the American Library Association awarded him Honorary Membership, its highest award.
Camila Alire is an American librarian and was president of the American Library Association from 2009 to 2010. She was the first Hispanic president of the ALA. She was previously the president of REFORMA, National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-speaking, in 1993-1994.
The New Jersey Library Association (NJLA) is a library organization located in Bordentown, New Jersey. It was established in 1890, and is the oldest library organization in the State of New Jersey. The NJLA began in 1890 with 39 members, and currently has over 1,700. The organization states on its website that it "Advocates for library services for New Jersey residents; Provides education and networking for library staff;" and "Supports intellectual freedom and access to books, music, movies, and information."
Peggy Sullivan was an American librarian and educator. She was elected president of the American Library Association and was a scholar of the history of librarianship.
Carla Diane Hayden is an American librarian who is serving as the 14th librarian of Congress. Since the creation of the office of the librarian of Congress in 1802, Hayden is both the first African American and the first woman to hold this post. Appointed in 2016, she is the first professional librarian to hold the post since 1974.
George Burwell Utley was an American librarian. Utley was a published author, first director of the Jacksonville Public Library (Florida), librarian of the Newberry Library in Chicago, Illinois, and served terms as secretary and later as president of the American Library Association. In 1999, American Libraries named him one of the "100 Most Important Leaders We Had in the 20th Century".
Lucile M. Morsch was an American librarian who served as president of the American Library Association from 1957 to 1958. Morsch also worked as the Deputy Chief Assistant Librarian of Congress from 1953 to 1962.
Emily Drabinski is an American academic, librarian, author, and teacher who served as president of the American Library Association from July 2023 to July 2024.
Margaret Elizabeth Chisholm was an American librarian and educator and served as president of the American Library Association from 1987 to 1988. She promoted librarians as skilled in information technology.
Barbara J. Ford is an American librarian who served as president of the American Library Association from 1997 to 1998. She earned a bachelor's degree from Illinois Wesleyan University, a master's degree in International Relations from Tufts University and a master's degree in library science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Sari Feldman is an American librarian. Sari was president of the American Library Association (ALA) from 2015 to 2016. During her presidency, she launched the Libraries Transform public awareness campaign that increased funding support for libraries and sought to advance information policy.
Trevor A. Dawes is a Jamaican-born American librarian and educator. He is the vice provost for libraries and museums and May Morris University Librarian at the University of Delaware. Dawes served as the 76th president of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).
Maureen Sullivan is an American librarian, educator, and organizational consultant who served as the president of the American Library Association from 2012 to 2013.
Betty J. Turock is an American librarian and educator who served as president of the American Library Association from 1995 to 1996. She was a member of the faculty of the Rutgers School of Communication and Information for 22 years. Turock is best known for her advocacy for equity of access to electronic information via the Internet as well as for championing diversity in the library profession.
F. William Summers was an American librarian and educator in library and information science. Summers held a number of leadership positions in the American Library Association, including serving as the organization's president from 1988 to 1989.
Wanda Kay Brown is an American librarian, who was the president of the American Library Association for the 2019–2020 term. She is the director of the C. G. O'Kelly Library at Winston-Salem State University and a leader in state and national library associations. She is the first American Library Association president who is a library director at one of the nation's historically black colleges and universities. She is twice president of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association in 2006-2008 and 2024-2026.
Patricia "Patty" Wong is the city librarian of Santa Clara, California. Wong was the president of the American Library Association (ALA) for the 2021–2022 term and is the first Asian American president of the ALA. She has been on the faculty at the San Jose State University iSchool since 2006, teaching subjects such as equitable access to library services, library management, and library services to young people.
Lessa Kananiʻopua Pelayo-Lozada is an American librarian. She is the adult services assistant manager for the Palos Verdes Library District in Southern California. In 2021, Pelayo-Lozada was elected as president of the American Library Association for the 2022–2023 term; she is the youngest person to be elected ALA president as well as the first Pacific Islander.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
