Peggy Sullivan

Peggy Sullivan, who currently resides in Chicago, IL, serves as a Library Consultant. She specializes in executive searches, primarily in public libraries. Throughout her career, she has served as:

• Dean, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Rosary College, River Forest IL 1995-1997

• Executive Director, American Library Association, Chicago IL 1992-1994

• Director and Professor, University Libraries, Northern Illinois University, De Kalb IL 1990-1992

• Dean and Professor, College of Professional Studies, Northern Illinois University 1981-1992

• Assistant Commissioner, Chicago Public Library, 1977–1981

From 1952 to 1977, Peggy Sullivan held positions of increasing responsibility in public and school libraries, directed the national Knapp School Libraries Project (1963–1968), and was on the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Chicago in their library education programs. She also taught on part-time, summer or interim bases at six other library education programs (the University of Maryland, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, Syracuse University, the Catholic University of America, Drexel University, and Rosary College) and directed the American Library Association’s Office for Library Personnel Resources.

Highlights of Sullivan’s wide-ranging career include: President of ALA’s Children’s Services Division (now the Association for Library Services to Children – ALSC) (1976–1977), Chair Centennial Celebration of the American Library Association (1976), assistant commissioner for extension services at the Chicago Public Library (1977–1981), ALA president (1980–1981), ALA executive director (1992–1994), Dean of the LIS Program at Rosary College (now Dominican University), Dean of the College of Professional Studies at Northern Illinois University, and numerous university teaching positions. Sullivan served as director of the Knapp School Libraries Project (1963–1968). This project had great national impact on convincing the public of the need for high quality school library media programs.

Furthermore, Sullivan was the 1991 recipient of ALA’s Joseph W. Lippincott Award, and is a Distinguished Alumnus of both Catholic University and Clarke College. In 2004, Sullivan established the Sullivan Award for Public Library Administrators. This award is presented annually to an individual who has shown exceptional understanding and support of public library service to children while having general management/supervisory/administrative responsibility that has included public library service to children in its scope. She also presents the Sullivan Award to a faculty member in the NIU College of Health and Human Sciences (formerly the College of Professional Studies, where she was dean) for achievement in research. It is presented every fall on the NIU campus.