The Austin Public Library Department has a new director. Last week, interim City Manager Elaine Hart announced the appointment of Roosevelt Weeks, currently the deputy director of administration for the Houston Public Library. Prior to his tenure at HPL, Weeks was an administrator at Accenture and Aetna; he has a master’s degree in library science (Univ. of North Texas) and a B.S. in computer science from Texas Southern. The previous APL director, Brenda Branch, retired at the end of 2016, after nearly 40 years of service with the City of Austin. She was a moving force in the development, planning, and building of the new Central Library, scheduled to open Oct. 28. That’s nearly a year behind schedule, but Branch told the Chronicle in 2015: “I am confident that when this building opens, the entire community is going to be happy with it, and celebrate it.”
Weeks’ current duties include oversight of HPL’s units for organizational development, financial services, fleet inventory, digital inclusion, and community engagement. As chief technology officer, he oversaw implementation of wireless connectivity and videoconferencing through the library system, and a general upgrade of computer technology. He will begin his new job on Sept. 11.
This article appears in August 18 • 2017.
