Hennepin's Ryan To Head Boston PL
By Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 9/1/2008
In a unanimous vote, the Board of Trustees of the Boston Public Library (BPL) named Amy Ryan, director of the Hennepin County Library (HCL), MN, as the new BPL president. In doing so, the board bypassed Thomas Birmingham, a lawyer and former State Senate president seen as an ally to Mayor Thomas Menino. Menino had clashed with former BPL president Bernard Margolis (see News, LJ 12/07, p. 16).
Trustees chose Ryan, according to a library press release, for “her extensive knowledge of big city library systems, her management styles, understanding of technology and commitment to community libraries.” Ryan, former director of community partnerships and development for the Minneapolis Public Library, was named director of HCL in January 2005, then oversaw the merger of the Minneapolis Public Library into the HCL system, finally achieved this January.
“I trust Amy Ryan will bring the skills necessary to make our libraries work for everyone—from the magnificent main branch at Copley to our 26 community branches,” Menino said in the press release. That might be seen as a veiled swipe at Margolis, whom the mayor accused of neglecting the branches. In turn, Margolis pointed to the mayor's penchant for interference.
The other finalists were Mario Gonzalez, former director of the Greenwich Library, CT, and Susan Hildreth, California State Librarian.
