Mary Lee Kennedy Appointed as Chief Library Officer at NYPL

MARCH 15, 2013 -- New York Public Library President Tony Marx has appointed Mary Lee Kennedy to a newly-created position, Chief Library Officer. Tasked to accelerate the Library’s digital initiatives and further strengthen through cooperation both the research and circulating divisions of the Library, Kennedy is a nationally respected leader in the library community. 

“Building on the tradition of 100 years of service to New Yorkers and researchers from around the world, The New York Public Library is keenly aware of this moment of transformation in the universe of information,” said NYPL President Tony Marx. “With Mary Lee we will be able to embrace this opportunity, as she has the perfect combination of digital intelligence, appreciation of the history and role of libraries in civic society, and thoughtful leadership.”

Kennedy arrives at NYPL from Harvard University, where as Senior Associate Provost she was the central administrative leader of one of the world’s greatest research library networks. Previously she was Executive Director of Knowledge and Library Services at Harvard Business School. She has ten years of experience in the information technology field, including seven leading Microsoft’s knowledge network group. She earned her B.A. at the University of Alberta and her M.L.S. at Louisiana State University.

“There’s a reason that The New York Public Library is so widely respected:  its research libraries are among the best in the world and it created the model for how to build a network of circulating branches,” says Kennedy. “It’s a career highlight to join the NYPL family.”

Kennedy will start at the Library on May 15.

About The New York Public Library

The New York Public Library is a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With 91 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library serves more than 18 million patrons who come through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at www.nypl.org. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at nypl.org/support