ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Ann Arbor District Library has a new captain at the helm, and it didn’t have to look far.
On Tuesday, Eli Neiburger was named as the library system’s new director after it conducted a nationwide search.
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As the current AADL Deputy Director, Neiburger has held several roles during his 25 years at the library, including helpdesk technician, systems planner, network administrator and associate director.
He will begin his new role on April 1.
“We’re privileged to have such talent internally, and I’m thrilled that Eli has formally accepted the Board’s offer to become AADL’s next Director,” AADL Board of Trustees President Jim Leija said in a release.
“In the midst of a very competitive search process, Eli’s vision, talents, expertise, and passion for AADL were unparalleled and made him our top choice candidate. The search showed Eli to be among the best library leaders in the country, and a perfect match for our community. He has been a dedicated member of AADL’s staff since 1997, and has been absolutely essential to the transformation of AADL into the thriving, innovative organization that it is today. We look forward to working closely with him as he reintroduces himself to our community in this new role.”
According to AADL, Neiburger has had a massive influence on popular aspects of the library, like its Tools collections, video game tournaments, the annual Summer Game, the Secret Lab and several festivals.
He has also contributed to the library system’s own publishing company, Fifth Avenue Press, and its audio incubator, Fifth Avenue Studios.
As a recognized leader in the industry, Neiburger has helped AADL consistently achieve a five-star rating by the national Library Journal publication for 14 years.
“I am overjoyed, thankful, and humbled to be given the opportunity to lead this amazing organization,” Neiburger said in a release. “There is nothing quite like AADL here on Earth, and I look forward to giving the communities we serve an even more astounding return on their investment in public library service. Thank you to the Board, our dedicated staff, and to our former director Josie Parker for making this possible. I can’t wait to get started.”