Salinas Public Library
Elizabeth Martinez, Library Director
Elizabeth Martinez was appointed Library Director in September 2007 after 10 years of consulting and teaching at the San Jose State U School of Library & Information Science, the U of Arizona, and UCLA. Prior positions include Executive Director of the American Library Association (ALA), Director of the Los Angeles Public Library, and Director of the Orange County Public Library CA. She has also worked in the film industry, media relations, and early literacy agencies.
Ms. Martinez was hired to restore and develop library services after a funding crisis closed the libraries in 2005. The national fundraising effort “Rally Salinas” is told in the film The Hollywood Librarian. The Library re-opened with limited hours in 2006, expanded in 2007, and will now open 7 days a week in September 2008. During her brief tenure, Ms. Martinez has engaged in a Strategic Plan for the Library, developed a program that gave 15,551 students in two school districts library cards, renovated the El Gabilan Library, and hired an architect to expand the Cesar Chavez Library. In September 2008, a Bookmobile will begin service throughout the community, the new computer circulation Liblime KOHA will be installed, and the redesigned John Steinbeck Library will open with a Digital Arts Lab, Teen Lounge, Internet Terrace, and MarketPlace of new materials. The Library will celebrate a centennial on September 9, 2009 following a year of programs and events on the history of Salinas and the Library. Ms Martinez’ vision for Salinas is that every student has a library card, everyone knows how to read, and every resident feels better after using the Salinas Public Library.
Throughout her career, Ms. Martinez has been known for her professional leadership, innovative ideas, and advocacy for cultural diversity. She received national recognition for the $200 million Bill Gates Internet initiative to connect 4000 public libraries in poor communities to the Internet. She established the Spectrum Scholarships, the only national program to recruit librarians of color with over 500 to date. She established the research ALA Office of Information Technology Policy. She has been recognized for her national professional achievements with the Elizabeth Martinez Doctoral Fellowship at the U of Pittsburgh PA, and the Elizabeth Martinez Master’s Scholarship, REFORMA LA Chapter.
A Doctoral Dissertation by David Monroe PhD at UCLA focuses on her leadership initiative ALA Goal 2000. She was appointed by the governor to the first Board of Trustees of the California Summer School for the Arts, elected to the Board of Independent Sector, and named “100 Outstanding Hispanics” by Hispanic Magazine. She speaks at national and international conferences, and has received numerous awards throughout her career including “Visionary Leadership” from the ALA, the Pen West “Freedom to Write” award, and “Las Primeras” from MANA.
Ms. Martinez has a Master’s Degree from the University of Southern California in Library & Information Science, a BA in Latin American Studies from UCLA, and a Certificate in Management from the University of California at Irvine.