Mary Boone named North Carolina's State Librarian

Mary Boone, School of Information and Library Science alum (MSLS '73) and recipient of the 2003 SILS' Distinguished Alumni Award, has been named North Carolina's State Librarian.

Secretary Lisbeth C. Evans of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources recently announced the appointment which will begin November 15, 2005.

A native of North Carolina, Boone was director of the Chapel Hill Public Library from 1978 to 1985 and was a founding member of the North Carolina Public Library Directors Association. Since 1985 she has been a Foreign Service Library/Information Resource Officer with the United States Information Agency and the U.S. Department of State, with service in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Washington, DC. Her assignments included serving as the director of the Department of State's extensive international library program from 1999 to 2002, and overseeing the planning and establishment of the Jefferson Information Center, a new Department of State initiative incorporating its existing library and a new research service, from 2002 to 2005.

"We're delighted that one of our distinguished alums is returning to North Carolina at this critical time when libraries are facing many challenging issues," said Dr. José-Marie Griffiths, dean, School of Information and Library Science. "We welcome Mary back to North Carolina and wish her the best as she begins her new appointment."