SWAN Board & Staff, The CCS press release on its new executive director is attached and pasted below. I think you all will remember him as our III sale rep: Chris Holly! This is really great for CCS and for Illinois consortium. He will be visiting Burr Ridge next Friday to meet with Dee for lunch. Aaron Skog SWAN Executive Director Reaching Across Illinois Library System Burr Ridge Office Phone: 630.734.5122 Fax: 630.734.5056 aaron.skog@railslibraries.info<mailto:aaron.skog@railslibraries.info> http://www.railslibraries.info The Governing Board of the Cooperative Computer Services (CCS) Consortium is proud to announce the selection and hiring of our next Executive Director, Christopher Holly. After a national search, the Executive Committee and Governing Board of CCS selected Holly based upon the strength of his vision, his passion for libraries and his strategic and analytical approach to providing library service in a 24 member consortium. Holly spent the past fifteen years working within the library automation industry for Ex Libris and, most recently, Innovative Interfaces, Inc. He has had the privilege of consulting with libraries and library consortia all over North America. During this time, he filled various roles from trainer to strategic account manager, which provided him with exposure to an extensive variety of operational structures and management strategies. He received his MLIS from the University of Pittsburgh in 1999 and is currently working on an Executive MBA from Loyola University Chicago. Inspired by his mother who served as head of the Children's Department at their local library, Holly developed a keen interest in libraries by working there as a teenager. CCS President Karen Danczak Lyons said "This is an important moment in the history of CCS. We have found a leader who will provide our membership with a vision for the future, identify opportunities for growth and use his understanding of the evolving role of public libraries to improve our service to the thousands of residents that use our libraries each day. With Chris, we will build upon the excellent foundation of service delivery constructed by long- time Executive Director Richard Shurman and his highly skilled staff." When reflecting upon this new chapter in his career, Holly stated: "I am a strong believer in the power of collaboration to create something greater than the individual parts. I look forward to working closely with the libraries in CCS to leverage the strengths of the Cooperative and chart a dynamic future of library services for the residents of the CCS community." Holly succeeds Shurman who was the Executive Director at CCS for more than 27 years. Shurman announced his intention to retire last year in order to allow ample time to find his successor and provide for a smooth transition. When discussing his career, Shurman said " Three and a half decades of seeing library automation progress and collaboration thrive have made it a more exciting and rewarding career than I could ever have envisioned. CCS has provided as high a level of support and inspiration as anyone can ask. I look forward to watching the ongoing collective wisdom, new blood, technological advances and the cooperative spirit take CCS further."