Linda E. Johnson

As president and CEO of Brooklyn Public Library, Linda E. Johnson leads one of the nation’s most historic and most innovative library systems. Founded in the late nineteenth century, BPL serves more than one million patrons in 60 locations; one-quarter of its branches are more than 100 years old. The Library is one of the largest publicly-funded civic institutions in New York City, with an annual operating budget of $119 million and a physical plant of more than one million square feet. Its annual attendance, 8.7 million in 2016, nearly equals that of the city’s eight professional sports franchises combined.

Linda has overseen the transformation of BPL from an analog to a modern library with state-of-the-art technology available for free to all patrons, including the 33% of Brooklyn residents who do not have internet access at home. Brooklyn Public Library has become the borough’s largest provider of free wireless internet and has invested in more than 1,500 laptop and desktop computers that are available for free to the public. Linda and her team have worked with the Library’s partners in the public sector to ensure that each branch has a baseline level of technology, with at least one full-time staff member dedicated to helping patrons access the Library’s digital programs and equipment.

Under Linda’s leadership, the Library’s presence and impact in the community have expanded beyond the confines of its 59 branches. BPL now hosts collections at nearly 200 off-site locations and provides services in 552 outreach sites, including schools, homeless shelters, senior centers and correctional facilities. The Library’s Outreach Services Department, founded in 2013, has developed new and nationally recognized resources for immigrants, seniors, veterans, the incarcerated, the homebound and other vulnerable or marginalized patrons. In 2016, Brooklyn Public Library was awarded the nation’s highest honor for libraries, the Institute for Museum and Library Services’ National Medal, in recognition of its extraordinary community outreach.

In 2015, Brooklyn Public Library joined its sister systems, the New York Public Library and Queens Library, in advocating successfully for increased funding from the city to provide citywide six-day library service for the first time in a decade. Along with its increased hours, BPL was able to hire nearly 100 new librarians and devote more resources to the maintenance of its four-million-item collection. The Library’s private fundraising has increased steadily under Linda’s leadership, and she has streamlined BPL’s operations through initiatives such as BookOps, a partnership with New York Public Library to consolidate collections management operations and provide faster, more dependable service to branches and patrons.

Prior to being named president and CEO of BPL in August 2011, Linda served as president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, CEO of the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation and president of JCI Data, a privately held information services and database management provider. She sits on the executive committees of Hamilton College, Sing for Hope and the Curtis Institute of Music and is an advisory director on the board of the Metropolitan Opera.