 Dionne Mack-Harvin An employee at Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) since 1996, Dionne Mack-Harvin was named the Executive Director of Brooklyn Public Library by the Board of Trustees, effective March 21, 2007. Dionne is the first African-American to hold this office. Prior to her appointment, she served as the library's Interim Executive Director.
Dionne began her career at BPL as a librarian at the Crown Heights Branch, and since then has held several key positions including Branch Manager-Supervising Librarian of the Marcy Branch; Regional Librarian responsible for 24 neighborhood libraries; and Director of Central Library, administering a $5 million budget and 122 staff.
In 2005, Dionne was appointed Chief of Staff for BPL. In this role she facilitated the use of library resources to support existing partnerships; engaged new partners to support the library; oversaw projects such as the annual capital budget request; and managed the directors of BPL's External Affairs departments, including Friends & Volunteer Services, Government & Community Affairs, Marketing & Communications and Programs & Exhibitions.
In recognition of her exceptional job as Chief of Staff, Dionne was named Interim Executive Director in July 2006. During this post, she managed the successful opening of Highlawn Library; oversaw the most successful Summer Reading program ever held at BPL (a 44% increase in participation over the prior year); and worked closely with the Mayor, City Council, Borough President, State and Federal governments, and BPL Board of Trustees.
"I am honored to serve as the 11th Executive Director of Brooklyn Public Library," said Dionne. "Having worked as a library administrator and a librarian in the branches during my ten-year career at BPL, I know firsthand that libraries make a huge difference in people's lives. Thousands of Brooklynites depend on our free books and services, and my top goal is to ensure that BPL remains their first choice for information."
While at BPL, Dionne's major accomplishments have included the creation of the new "Popular Library" division at Central Library as well as the increase of circulation and public service hours at the flagship agency. Dionne helped develop and implement the Cluster Pilot Project, which streamlined management of the library system by grouping BPL's 58 neighborhood libraries into 14 distinct "clusters." She also served on the Executive Planning Committee for the Access Brooklyn Card (ABC) – BPL's multifaceted library debit card.
Dionne received a B.A. in History and African-American Studies from the State University of New York College at Brockport; an M.A. in Africana Studies at the University at Albany, State University of New York; and an M.L.S. at the Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy. She is a member of the New York Library Association, American Library Association (ALA), the Black Caucus of ALA, the ALA Conference Program Coordinating Committee, and the chair of the Public Relations Committee for the 6th National Conference of African American Librarians.
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