James Lonergan named New MBLC Director
April 28, 2017
Celeste Bruno
Communications Director
1-800-952-7403 x208
celeste.bruno@state.ma.us
The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) is pleased to announce James Lonergan as its new Director. “It is with great pleasure that we welcome James to the MBLC,” said Mary Ann Cluggish, MBLC Chair. “His depth of knowledge and understanding of how libraries work combined with his national perspective on library issues and trends will benefit libraries and patrons across the state.”
Lonergan comes to the MBLC from the New Jersey State Library where he served as a Deputy State Librarian. He directed the Library Support Services unit and was in charge of many services that are familiar to the Massachusetts library community including State Aid, E-rate, interlibrary loan, databases, grants, strategic planning, training for trustees and directors, statistics, and the administration of laws and regulations.
At the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in Washington, D.C., Lonergan was a Senior Program Officer who managed a portfolio of over $44 million in federal grants to sixteen state library agencies. He also managed competitive grant programs for library services to the Pacific region, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and for Native Americans and Native Hawaiians. The MBLC also relies on federal funding from IMLS to provide statewide services including databases, eBooks, the Commonwealth Catalog, and statewide summer reading. The agency also uses federal funding to provide direct local grants to libraries.
A Massachusetts native, Lonergan has previous experience at the MBLC as the agency’s State Aid Specialist. “I’m thrilled to be coming home to a place that inspires me,” he said. “Massachusetts is nationally known for excellent library services and I’m looking forward to working with the talented MBLC staff and library community to strengthen services to all the Commonwealth’s residents.”
Lonergan is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He holds an M.P.A. from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and an M.S. from the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
He will start his new position on June 26, 2017.
About MBLC
The Board of Library Commissioners (mass.gov/mblc) is the agency of state government with the statutory authority and responsibility to organize, develop, coordinate and improve library services throughout the Commonwealth. The Board advises municipalities and library trustees on the operation and maintenance of public libraries, including construction and renovation. It administers state and federal grant programs for libraries and promotes cooperation among all types of libraries through regional library systems and automated resource sharing. It also works to ensure that all residents of the Commonwealth, regardless of their geographic location, social or economic status, age, level of physical or intellectual ability or cultural background, have access to essential new electronic information technologies and significant electronic databases.