President Obama is said to have picked David S. Ferriero, now chief executive of the research libraries at The New York Public Library, to be the Archivist of the United States.
The selection, which had been rumored among historians, was reported earlier today by the National Coalition for History's newsletter. A spokesman for The New York Public Library declined to comment.
Before his New York job, Ferriero had been Duke University's librarian and had worked for 31 years before that in the Massachusetts Institute of Technologies libraries.
He succeeds Allen Weinstein, who resigned for health reasons in December.
I suggest we all write him to request that the Library of Michigan, one of the 10th most important genealogical collections in the US, not be dislocated.
Kathryn Larcher
native of Michigan
http://www.french-roots.com
Posted by: Kathryn Larcher | July 29, 2009 at 07:32 AM
this is my dream job!
Posted by: Wendy Littrell | July 29, 2009 at 07:49 AM
My wish is that Mr. Ferriero would promote the cause of preserving African American records. Giant steps in healing America's racial divide will emanate from a knowledge of the history and impact of our slave past; and using that knowledge to help heal the continuing rift. For anyone who is interested, www.ourblackancestry.com is a work in progress that hopes to be a beacon for research and www.comingtothetable.com is an effort to bring blacks and whites together at a table of reconciliation -- www.comingtothetable.com.
Posted by: Sharon Morgan | July 29, 2009 at 09:52 AM
What does the Archivist of the U S do? This is the first I have ever heard of that job
Posted by: Marilou Jacob | July 29, 2009 at 10:34 AM
How different is this from LDS?
Posted by: Barbara | July 29, 2009 at 12:41 PM
Archives---Archivist. Can you make the connection? This would be the person in charge of our national archives where we hold our records of the past. There are many district national archives scattered about the nation where all of the census films and other valuable genealogy documents are available. LDS film crews have photographed many of these records. Technically I suppose an Archivist of this magnitude is a manager; sets policy, new budgets, lobbies Congress and other assorted management duties.
Posted by: James W. Crippen | July 29, 2009 at 01:37 PM
Among his varied duties he is responsible for the handling of presidential documentation such as the e-mails Georges' whitehouse could never seem to find.
Posted by: tom fekins | July 29, 2009 at 03:58 PM