Debby Conrad Reappointed MBLC Commissioner
January 23, 2024
June Thammasnong
Communications Specialist
1-800-952-7403 x208
june.thammasnong@mass.gov
The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) is delighted to announce that Commissioner Debby Conrad has been reappointed by Governor Maura Healey to serve on the nine-member board. Commissioner Conrad was first appointed to the MBLC in 2020 by Governor Charles Baker and has served as chair of the board since 2022.
“I am honored to have been reappointed by Governor Healey to the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners,” said Ms. Conrad. “I have the privilege of serving with a dedicated group of Commissioners and talented staff members at the board. Together with the Massachusetts library community we are working to provide exceptional service to all residents of the Commonwealth regardless of age, economic status, or ethnicity. I look forward to continuing to work to achieve that goal.”
Commissioner Conrad’s library career spans more than 40 years, most notably for 29 years as Executive Director of the SAILS library network, which boasts membership from more than 70 publicly funded school, academic and public libraries in 38 communities. She was inducted to the Massachusetts Library Association’s Hall of Fame in 2014. She currently serves on the MBLC’s Executive, Budget and Resource Sharing Committees. She is also the MBLC Liaison to the Massachusetts Library System.
Ms. Conrad holds a Masters in Library and Information Science with an emphasis on Systems Planning and Implementation from the University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign. She received her A.B. from Indiana University with a concentration in Russian Studies. Retired in 2018, Ms. Conrad is currently Membership Chair of the Friends of the Ventress Memorial Library in Marshfield and continues to be active in the Massachusetts Library Association.
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.