NYPL President LeClerc To Retire in 2011
Has led the library through enormous changes over 16 years
Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 11/18/2009
- Presided over period of enormous change
- Doubled endowment
- Merged branch and research libraries
- Hit some snags on real estate issues
In an announcement made with a good deal of lead time, the New York Public Library (NYPL) announced today that its 16-year President, Paul LeClerc, would retire in the summer of 2011.
At meeting of NYPL's Board of Trustees today, according to a press release, LeClerc said he is “both astonished and pleased at how much our library system has changed” during his tenure. NYPL has more open hours than at any time in the last 35 years. It maintains a position as the country's leading public library, serving both as a major research institution and a neighborhood system (in three of New York's five boroughs).
Accomplishments
The press release cites his accomplishments:
Dr. LeClerc has overseen the merging of the branch and research library systems, over $500 million in capital projects, the creation of notable programs and exhibitions, and a more than twofold increase in the Library’s endowment. Users pay 18 million physical visits to the Library each year, in addition to more than 26 million global visits online. "I'm more enthusiastic about the Library's mission and service to its public than ever before, and look forward to all we will accomplish during the remainder of my tenure," he said.A few snags
NYPL cited many other accomplishments, including the acquisition of new collections, the creation of a digital library, and the renovation of existing libraries (including the flagship 42nd Street library, now known as the Schwarzman Building).
However, NYPL has also hit a few snags in its effort to navigate New York's real estate market. A plan to sell the aging Mid-Manhattan Library, one of the central libraries of its branch system, and use the proceeds from the real estate deal to fuel a major renovation of the flagship library across the street ran aground. And the sale of the Donnell Library, aimed to generate cash and a replacement, has led instead to delays and protests.
Process for succession
Board Chairman Catherine Marron and Vice Chairman Joshua L. Steiner will head the committee searching for LeClerc's replacement.“With today’s announcement Paul has provided us with the opportunity to ensure a smooth transition in leadership, giving us ample time to conduct a thorough search to fill this unique leadership position,” Marron said.
Before coming to NYPL in 1993, LeClerc, a scholar of French literature, was president of Hunter College in New York City.
NYPL is going through other leadership changes. David Ferriero, the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the New York Public Libraries, led the merger of branch and research libraries under the OneNYPL strategy. He was recently named U.S. Archivist, with Ann Thornton his interim replacement.
