Bio: Leslie Burger is the founding partner of Library Development Solutions, a New York City based consulting firm founded in 1991.  Until 2016 she was also the executive director of the Princeton Public Library (NJ) where she helped plan, design and secure funding for a new 55,000 square foot library that opened in 2004. That project was the anchor and driver for a downtown redevelopment project that resulted in a mixed-use building, parking garage and public square. From 2014-2015 she led Princeton’s “2-Reimagine” project, a renovation of the library’s adult space that opened in March 2016. A proven fundraiser, Leslie raised more than $31 million during her tenure at the Princeton Public Library. Throughout her consulting practice and employment Burger has dedicated her career to transforming libraries. In addition to leading the Princeton Public Library, she held leadership positions at the Bridgeport  (CT) Public Library, Connecticut and NJ State Libraries. As a consultant she’s worked with more than 150 libraries on strategic planning, community assessments, building planning, organizational improvements, program evaluation and implementation. Leslie is an adjunct faculty member at Rutgers where she teaches leadership in the School of Communication and Information Masters of Information Science Program.

Leslie served as president of the 65,000 member American Library Association from 2006  to 2007 where she sponsored a variety of initiatives focused on library transformation. She also served as president of the New Jersey and Connecticut Library Associations. Leslie attended library school at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland and also has a master’s degree in organizational behavior from the University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT. She received her BS from Southern Connecticut State College.