People

Martha Anderson has been named Director of Program Management for the Library of Congress's (LC) National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program, which focuses on original digital content. Anderson has been acting in this position since April 2007. She was involved in LC's American Memory site.

Helene Blowers has joined the Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH, as the new Web Strategy Director. She formerly was Public Services Technology Director at the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, NC. She is an LJ 2007 Mover & Shaker.

Stewart Brower is the new Director of the University of Oklahoma—Tulsa Schusterman Center Library, overseeing all services, collections, special projects, and outreach. He comes from the University at Buffalo, where he served as Associate Librarian.

Cindy Cunningham, most recently Director, Media Metadata at Corbis Corporation, Seattle, is now Director, OCLC Partner Programs. From 1998 through February 2004, Cunningham held a variety of positions at Amazon, including U.S. Catalog Librarian/Program Manager. Cunningham earlier was Head of Reference and Information Services at Kitsap Regional Library, Bremerton, WA.

Larisa Good has been appointed Director for Warren County Public Library, Monmouth, IL. She replaces Julian Bruening, who retired after serving as Director for more than two decades. Good most recently was Supervisor Branch Librarian at the Prairie Commons Branch, part of St. Louis County Library.

Nancy Johnson is the new Director of the Bright District Library, MI, replacing Charlene Huget, who retired in June. Johnson previously was Director of the White Lake Township Library, MI.

Prissy Lakus, who devoted 44 years of service to the Tampa—Hillsborough County Public Libraries, has retired. She most recently was Chief Librarian for the South Tampa area, which included Charles Fendig Library, Jan Platt Regional Library, Port Tampa City Library, and the Talking Books division.

Neal Ney, Director of the Evanston Public Library, IL, for the past 15 years, retired October 31. Ney earlier had been a library director in Park Forest and Kankakee, IL. Paul Gottschalk, the library's Administrative Services Manager, has been appointed Interim Director.

Daniel Siebersma has been named State Librarian for South Dakota. He most recently served briefly as Director of the Brown County Library, Green Bay, WI, and before that as Director of the Lakeland Library Cooperative, Grand Rapids, MI.

Elitea "Lee" Allison, retired Children's Librarian, Newark Public Library, NJ, has died at the age of 94. She retired from the library system in 1983 after 45 years of service.

James Ramer, founding Dean of the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, died September 27 at the age of 80. Ramer served as Dean and Professor from 1971 until his retirement in 1988.

Paul Rooney, former Director of the Buffalo Public Library (BPL), died November 8 at the age of 89. He began a 48-year association with BPL in 1935, becoming Director in 1975 and retiring in 1983. He was active in the reconfiguration of BPL into the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, serving as the system's second Director. He also took part in overseeing construction of the 400,000 square foot central library in 1963 and managed the transfer of more than one million books into the new facility.