Press Release

Norman Holman Appointed Director of The New York Public Library's Branch Libraries

New York, August 6 -- Norman Holman, Deputy Director of the Cleveland Public Library, has been named the new Senior Vice President and Director of The New York Public Library's Branch Libraries, effective October 1, Paul LeClerc, President of The New York Public Library, announced today. Mr. Holman will oversee 2,400 staff members in a system of 84 branches covering 130 square miles of territory. Last year, NYPL registered 10 million reader visits.

President Paul LeClerc said, "This is a key appointment for us at The New York Public Library. Moving this immensely important system skillfully into the next century is one of the great opportunities available in the world of American librarianship. The Trustees and I are convinced that we have in Norman Holman just the right person to make this happen. He has both impeccable credentials and superb experience at the Cleveland Public Library, working with Director Marilyn Gell Mason, one of the outstanding library leaders in America. I can't wait for him to start."

The appointment of Norman Holman culminates a nation wide search for a notable successor to Edwin Holmgren, who recently retired after leading The Branch Libraries with distinction for over 25 years.

During the past 18 years, Mr. Holman has served in increasingly significant posts at the Cleveland Public Library, including appointments as Director of Personnel, Head of Community Services, Interim Director, and, since 1986, Deputy Director. A native of Madison, Wisconsin, Mr. Holman received a master's degree in library science and also a master's degree in musicology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

The Cleveland Public Library is one of the finest publicly funded library systems in the United States with a main Library and 29 branches. In addition to his academic background in the library field, Mr. Holman, as chief operating officer, has guided the renovation and upgrading of existing libraries in the system. Perhaps his crowning achievement was overseeing a $90 million project to create a new technically innovative central library.

This experience will be invaluable over the next few years as The New York Public Library continues to renovate and retool its branch libraries with state-of-the-art technology, while preserving traditional library service with its emphasis on community outreach and services to children, seniors, and immigrants.

"I am enormously looking forward to living in New York City," Mr. Holman said. "The New York Public Library is known for its rich history and for the great contributions its branch libraries have made to their community and to the nation. It stands as a model for good library service and I am eager to work with the staff to build for the future."

With four preeminent research libraries and 84 branches, The New York Public Library serves a more varied set of constituencies and has the broadest mission of any library in the nation. The branch library system, serving the boroughs of the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, was established by a grant from Andrew Carnegie in 1901 and is predominantly funded by the City of New York. Each year, more than 11.5 million books, films, records, magazines, and pictures circulate among the Library's 2.1 million cardholders. Through LEO, its fully integrated online information system, every branch provides free online access to the Internet, and to The Branch Libraries' catalog, to CATNYP (the online catalog system of The Research Libraries), and to databases with indexes to 2,600 periodicals and full-text articles available from more than 1,000.

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