Mack-Harvin To Head Brooklyn PL

By Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 4/15/2007

Dionne Mack-Harvin, the 34-year-old interim executive director of the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) since Ginnie Cooper's departure in June 2006, has been named executive director of the system, which makes her the first African American woman to head a major library in the state, according to a mayoral press release.

Mack-Harvin has had a rapid rise at BPL, the country's fifth-largest library system, since she began her career in 1996 as a librarian at the Crown Heights branch. She served as branch manager, then a regional librarian responsible for 24 neighborhood libraries before being promoted in 2003 to direct the central library. Two years later, she was promoted to chief of staff, overseeing six directors and projects such as the annual capital budget request.

Mack-Harvin was among three finalists for the position. In this case, the board went with a different strategy, selecting an insider already familiar with the library; Cooper was hired from the Multnomah County Library in Portland, OR. Mack-Harvin is undoubtedly one of the youngest directors of a major library in the country. She holds a Master of Arts in Africana Studies from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany as well as a library degree from SUNY–Albany. BPL's priorities, according to a statement, include making the library a community center, increasing hours, supporting lifelong learning, and emphasizing fundraising and volunteerism.