rmTo our wonderful community of Archives, Libraries and Museums,

With the blessing of the LYRASIS member-elected Board of Trustees and the support of an experienced, dedicated team of LYRASIS staff, I am honored to have been chosen as the new CEO.

It is a privilege and an honor to be leading a membership organization with such a deep history. LYRASIS has roots dating back to 1936 and was created by information professionals who saw the need for collaboration and leadership to ensure that their content could be discovered, accessed and used. I believe that this need is as critical today as it was then. In fact, it is now a mandate. Technology and content were viewed as important then. Today, they are an absolute necessity.

A little about me: for the past 10 years I have worked tirelessly with my fantastic team at the Internet Archive, along with more than 1,000 archives, libraries and museums, to create a global digital library currently used by 300+ million people each year. Together we developed standards, tools, services and training to unite disparate content communities to serve not just local institutions, but a global community of digital scholars and citizens.

My professional background combines both the for-profit and non-profit worlds with the fields of information, technology and knowledge. The organizations I have led all had to rise to the same challenges LYRASIS faces today: connecting the needs of users with services and products that create value all while ensuring sustainability. My professional path has intersected with Silicon Valley, academia and the wider public, from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., from London to China and from South Africa to Rio. I enjoy embracing new concepts and ideas and thrive on working to turn them into realities.
Together with you, our members (and future members), we will do the same at LYRASIS!

In my first 100 days, I will be focusing on the following:

  1. Reaching out to as many of you as possible to understand your goals and needs – after all, our mission is to help you realize your mission;
  2. Clarifying, reviewing and, where necessary, reinvigorating our offerings, services and deliverables to you;
  3. Determining when are we meeting the mark and when we are not; and
  4. Understanding how we at LYRASIS can use and enhance the best of our talents to meet the most critical needs of your organizations.

I will need your help, and I would like to ask for your candid and honest feedback. In exchange, my team and I will strive to deliver enhanced value for your membership, as well as vital services and products that are needed not just for today, but also for tomorrow. I am excited to meet you all and quite frankly I look forward to having a lot of fun as we continue to work together to make content more discoverable, accessible and usable.

Come visit us at ALA in our NEW booth #2341. I’ll be there during the opening session on Friday, June 26 from 5:30 – 7 pm PT to meet you in person, or let me know directly if you’d like to schedule a meeting. And stay tuned for more updates. LYRASIS is on the move!

I want to close by thanking Kate Nevins, the outgoing Executive Director who skillfully served LYRASIS and this community for more than 20 years. We all wish her the best in her next chapter. Also, I want to thank all of you for your support over the years.

LYRASIS and our community of members have great opportunities ahead of us. Stay tuned for updates on new initiatives coming your way!

With kind regards,

Robert Miller
Chief Executive Officer
robert.miller@lyrasis.org
Toll Free: 800.999.8558 x 4898
Cell: 404.372.6510
1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
Skype: Robert-Miller
Please use the new information above to update your contacts moving forward.