C.W. Post Appoints Director of New Public Library Institute

February 1, 2005 - Brookville, NY - When the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University launched the Palmer Institute for Public Library Organization and Management in January 2005, it welcomed nationally recognized library leader Gerald D. Nichols as the institute's first director. Since 1991, Nichols has served as director of the Suffolk Cooperative Library System, one of the nation's busiest and most successful public library systems. He is also a graduate of C.W. Post's renowned Palmer School of Library and Information Science and has served as an adjunct professor there since 1996.

"Mr. Nichols is well known for his expertise in library management, law, construction, finance and technology," said Dr. Mary Westermann-Cicio, interim dean of the Palmer School. "In addition to the outstanding work he has done on Long Island, Mr. Nichols has played a key role in laying a foundation for the restructuring of public libraries in our state through his work as a member of the New York State Regents' Commission on Library Services. His extensive experience in the public library field made him an excellent choice for the director position."

Nichols earned his Master of Science in Library and Information Science from the Palmer School in 1974. He went on to serve as director of the Babylon Public Library from 1980 to 1981, director of the Freeport Memorial Library from 1981 to 1986, and director of the Half Hollow Hills Community Library in Dix Hills from 1986 to 1990. During his career, Nichols has earned a reputation as a library administrator well versed in all aspects of public library organization and management.

As program administrator and principal instructor of the institute, Nichols coordinates the Public Library Education curriculum for students enrolled in the Palmer School's master's, post-master's and continuing education programs. Nichols will participate in student recruitment, academic advisement and job placement, while administering the new Public Library Director Advanced Certificate Program and the Public Library Continuing Education Program. He will teach many of the management courses, as well as workshops, seminars and other continuing education offerings.

The Palmer Institute for Public Library Organization and Management was born out of the Palmer School's ongoing leadership in public library education. The core component of the institute is the Public Library Director Advanced Certificate Program, which was created and developed by Nichols and is modeled after the New York Education Department's School District Leader Certificate. The second element of the Institute is the Public Library Continuing Education Program, which will be designed for library trustees and mid-level library staff.

The Public Library Director Advanced Certificate Program will be offered in a variety of formats to meet the needs of today's public library administrators. Initially courses will be taught at the C.W. Post, Brentwood and Westchester Campuses of Long Island University. Planning is underway to extend the program throughout New York and, through distance learning, to library professionals in other regions of the United States. Courses include Management of Libraries and Information Centers, Legal Issues and the Regulatory Environment of the Public Library, Human Resource Administration in the Public Library, Public Library Facilities and Technology, and Financial Management of Public Libraries. In addition to offering a high level of convenience to the working professionals expected to enroll in the program, these formats will help establish the Institute on a regional, state and national level.

"There is a critical need in the public sector for qualified and motivated library administrators," Nichols said. "I am pleased to work with Long Island University in addressing that need."

The Palmer School of Library and Information Science, founded in 1959, is nationally recognized for its American Library Association-accredited master's degree in Library and Information Science (a distinction shared by only 55 schools in the country), and for its Ph.D. in Information Studies, the only one of its kind in the New York metropolitan area. The M.S. degree in Library and Information Science offers specializations in such areas as school media specialist, archives and records management, public librarianship, and rare books and special collections. The School also awards the Certificate in Archives and Records Management. Many of the Palmer School courses are also offered at sites in Brentwood, Westchester and Manhattan.