David Ferriero Confirmed by U.S. Senate as 10th Archivist of the United States

[eric hennekam]

Washington, DC. . . Today, the United States Senate voted to confirm
David Ferriero as the 10th Archivist of the United States.  Mr. Ferriero
was the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the New York Public Libraries and
is a leader in the field of library science.  Mr. Ferriero, who was
nominated by President Obama on July 28, 2009, will succeed Professor
Allen Weinstein who resigned as Archivist in December 2008 for health
reasons.  Deputy Archivist Adrienne Thomas is serving as the Acting
Archivist until Mr. Ferriero assumes his duties.

As the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the New York Public Libraries
(NYPL), Mr. Ferriero was part of the leadership team responsible for
integrating the four research libraries and 87 branch libraries into one
seamless service for users, creating the largest public library system
in the United States and one of the largest research libraries in the
world. Mr. Ferriero was in charge of collection strategy; conservation;
digital experience; reference and research services; and education,
programming, and exhibitions.

Among his responsibilities at the NYPL was the development of the
library's digital strategy, which currently encompasses partnerships
with Google and Microsoft, a web site that reaches more than 25 million
unique users annually, and a digital library of more than 750,000 images
that may be accessed free of charge by any user around the world.

Before joining the NYPL in 2004, Mr. Ferriero served in top positions
at two of the nation's major academic libraries, the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA, and Duke University in Durham,
NC.  In those positions, he led major initiatives including the
expansion of facilities, the adoption of digital technologies, and a
reengineering of printing and publications.

Mr. Ferriero earned bachelor's and master's degrees in English
literature from Northeastern University in Boston and a master's
degree from the Simmons College of Library and Information Science, also
in Boston.  After serving in the Navy during the Vietnam War, he started
in the humanities library at MIT, where he worked for 31 years, rising
to associate director for public services and acting co-director of
libraries.

In 1996, Mr. Ferriero moved to Duke University, where he served as
University Librarian and Vice Provost for Library Affairs until 2004.
At Duke, he raised more than $50 million to expand and renovate the
university's library and was responsible for instructional technology
initiatives, including overseeing Duke's Center for Instructional
Technology.

As Archivist of the United States, Mr. Ferriero will oversee the
National Archives and Records Administration, an independent Federal
agency created by statute in 1934.  The National Archives safeguards and
preserves the records of the U.S. Government, ensuring that the people
can discover, use, and learn from this documentary heritage.  The
National Archives ensures continuing access to records that document the
rights of American citizens, the actions of federal officials, and the
national experience.

Its 44 facilities include the National Archives Building in Washington,
DC, the National Archives at College Park, 13 Presidential libraries,
and 14 regional archives nationwide.  The National Archives also
publishes the Federal Register, administers the Information Security
Oversight Office, the Office of Government Information Services, makes
grants of historical documentation through the National Historical
Publications and Records Commission.

Among the National Archives' approximately 9 billion pages of
materials that are open to the public for research nationwide are
millions of photographs, maps, and documents, thousands of motion
pictures and audio recordings, and millions of electronic records. Every
subject relating to American history is covered in the records of the
National Archives:  Revolutionary War pension files, landmark Supreme
Court cases, international treaties, legislative records, executive
orders, public laws, records relating to all U.S. Presidents and the
papers of Presidents Hoover through George W. Bush.

Bron: National Archives