Homeotipfellow

Contact: Andrew Bridges
Communications Director, WO
(202)628-8410
abridges@alawash.org

For Immediate Release,
April 7, 2008

Roger E. Levien Named as OITP Fellow

The American Library Association's Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) has named Dr. Roger E. Levien as its second OITP Fellow. His term began on April 1, 2008, and extends through March 31, 2010.

As a Fellow, Dr. Levien could become involved in any aspect of OITP's work, but his primary focus will be on the new Program on America's Libraries in the 21st Century. OITP is in the process of being organized into four Programs, and the Program on America's Libraries in the 21st Century focuses on monitoring and evaluating trends in technology and society to assist the library community in shaping its future.

According to OITP Director Dr. Alan Inouye, Dr. Levien will be a perfect fit for this program. "Dr. Levien boasts a long and impressive career in technology and he will bring a much valued expertise to OITP," Inouye said, "He will also lend a new perspective to OITP's work; 'fresh eyes' that will surely aid the library community in determining what the road ahead holds in store for us."

Currently, Dr. Levien is the Principal and Founder of Strategy & Innovation Consulting, a consultancy established to advise public and private organizations on the development of corporate and technology strategies. Previously, he spent 15 years at the Xerox Corporation engaged with corporate and technology strategy including terms as Corporate Vice President for Corporate Strategy and for Strategy and Innovation. He has a doctorate in applied mathematics (computer science) from Harvard University.

Dr. Levien expressed his enthusiasm for the opportunity presented by the OITP Fellowship: "For the past 25 years, I have been in engaged with the digital revolution as it has transformed the nature of the public document from primarily paper, locally-accessible, and commercially produced to primarily electronic, globally-accessible, and privately produced. That fundamental transformation, which is continuing, has set in motion waves of change that are sweeping through all the technologies, functions, and organizations associated with the document, not least the archive and the library. I hope to devote my time during the next two years to gaining and communicating a deeper understanding of the ways in which libraries can move with those waves of change to expand their services and their constituencies."