James M. Gallagher, who most recently served as the acting deputy assistant attorney general and deputy chief information officer for the U.S. Department of Justice, has been appointed to the position of director of Information Technology Services at the Library.
Laura E. Campbell, associate librarian for strategic initiatives, announced the appointment on July 8. The Library's Office of Strategic Initiatives (OSI) includes Information Technology Services.
"Jim Gallagher will provide the leadership needed as we enter a new era of technological advancement at the Library of Congress," said Campbell. At the Justice Department, he headed the Office of Information Resource Management, where he managed a staff of 350.
Gallagher worked for the Justice Department beginning in 1980 and held a series of progressively responsible managerial positions in information technology. He demonstrated his ability to manage an agency-wide information technology organization and to develop solutions to maximize customer service. Gallagher also led a major reorganization of information technology staff. His successes resulted in his promotion to head of information technology operations for the Justice Department.
"I look forward to applying my experience to meet the information technology needs of the Library of Congress," said Gallagher. "The Library is one of the premier cultural institutions in the nation, thanks to the dedicated work of its staff. Together, we will solidify and enhance the institution's reputation as a premier disseminator of information."
Gallagher received a bachelor's degree from Fairfield University in Fairfield, Conn., and a law degree from Gonzaga Law School. He is also a distinguished graduate of the Information Resources Management College of the National Defense University.
OSI is leading a collaborative initiative called the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program. The program's mission is to develop a national strategy to collect, archive and preserve the burgeoning amounts of digital content, especially materials that are created only in digital formats. The office also oversees the Library's National Digital Library Program, which offers more than 7.5 million important American historical items from the collections of the Library and other institutions on the Internet at memory.loc.gov.
