Westchester Library System Names Terry Kirchner Executive Director

The Westchester Library System (WLS) announces the appointment of Terry Kirchner as Executive Director.

Tarrytown, N.Y. (PRWEB) January 21, 2009 --The Westchester Library System (WLS) announces the appointment of Terry Kirchner as Executive Director. Dr. Kirchner's experience spans more than 15 years in various management positions at public and academic libraries. For the last three years, he served as Director for Access Services at Columbia University Libraries. There, he led and coordinated system-wide interaction between activities across 22 campus libraries, launched effective assessment and marketing programs, conducted ongoing strategic planning and implementation, and expanded the campus-wide interlibrary loan operations.

In his prior position at The New York Public Library, Dr. Kirchner managed numerous public service operations, coordinated interlibrary loan operations across its major research centers and directed the inventory and relocation of over 2 million volumes to an offsite, high-density storage facility.

Skilled in fostering collaborative and cooperative team-based work groups, Dr. Kirchner earned his doctorate in Human and Organizational Systems from Fielding Graduate University. He holds an MBA in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Baruch College and an MLS degree from Rutgers University.

Patricia W. Fontanella, President of the Board of Trustees for the Westchester Library System, announced the appointment.

"Terry's logistical and management skills are a perfect fit for the type of wide-ranging operation we have, which circulates material among the 38 member libraries and their branches and serves a diverse constituency," said Fontanella. "He has shown proven leadership skills and demonstrated an ability to follow through with initiatives and improvements."

"This is one of the premier library systems in the country and I look forward to working with the staff to further enhance our services," said Kirchner. "All libraries have to be more creative and innovative to meet the coming challenges in order to promote the economic, educational and cultural well-being of Westchester County." Dr. Kirchner replaces Siobhan Reardon, who served as executive director from 2005 through August 2008.

The Westchester Library System is located at 540 White Plains Road, Suite 200, Tarrytown, NY 10591. For additional information, contact Kate Meyer at kmeyer (at) wlsmail.org.

About the Westchester Library System:
The Westchester Library System (WLS) includes 38 member public libraries located throughout the County and is one of New York State's 23 public library systems. WLS and its member libraries have a total collection of 5.4 million items, including 3.7 million books, as well as audio recordings, videocassettes, DVDs, print serials, and other materials. The mission of the Westchester Library System is to ensure that all residents have seamless access to excellent library service throughout Westchester County. The Westchester Library System serves as a center of innovation for the Westchester County library community. We provide model programs, affordable and easy-to-use information technology, and support services that enable libraries to continuously improve service to their communities. For more information, please visit www.westchesterlibraries.org.

Press Contacts:
Beth Weiss
Co-Communications
914-666-0066

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