Trustees Name Ruth Kowal Acting Boston Public Library President
May 19, 2008

The Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston this week unanimously appointed Ruth Kowal as Acting President of the Boston Public Library.

"The Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the appointment of Ruth Kowal as Acting President of the BPL effective July 1, 2008 . The Board has great confidence in Ms. Kowal's ability to shepherd the Library through this period of transition. She has demonstrated her leadership abilities in her current position of Deputy Director, which has involved her in all aspects of the operation of the BPL, and she is well prepared to assume this responsibility,” said Jeffrey Rudman, chairman of the Library’s Board of Trustees.

Ms. Kowal has worked at the Boston Public Library since 1990, most recently as Deputy Director. She has also served the BPL as Director of Operations and Chief of Operations & Chief of Staff.

s. Kowal came to the Boston Public Library after heading the Eastern Massachusetts and Central Massachusetts Regional Library Systems.

Earlier this month she was named to the Massachusetts Library Association’s Hall of Fame for her contributions to the profession of librarianship in the state.

The search for a new President of the Library is ongoing. A search committee, representing library, staff, users and supporters and other prominent members of the community, has retained the recruiting firm of Korn/Ferry to help them find and select qualified applicants.

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Prepared by the Boston Public Library's Communications Office. For more information about news, programs and events at the BPL, call 617-859-2212 or send a message to the Communications Office.