Library Foundation Hires new Executive Director
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
By: Patricia Fraga

Tim Staley to Lead Community Effort in a Library Capital Campaign

Austin, Texas—June 15, 2008—The Austin Public Library Foundation (APLF), a non-profit organization established to secure private funding to help support and strengthen Austin’s public libraries, announced today the hiring of a new Executive Director, Tim Staley.  Staley will begin his role at the APLF on June 23. His top priority will be to lead the community effort to leverage the citizen’s 2007 bond money of $90 million, the City of Austin seed money of $9 million from the sale of the downtown Block 21, and raise additional funds to enhance and help operate the new Central Library.  Earlier this year the Mayor and City Council passed a resolution to place the new Central Library on the site of the Seaholm District (704 W. Cesar Chavez St.)—in the emerging cultural area of downtown Austin which overlooks Lady Bird Lake.  The City of Austin and Library have set a progressive timeline to begin the process of building Austin’s new landmark facility, and they are on track to select a design team, by November 2008.

“We are closer than ever to realizing the vision for a new Central Library. With the hiring of Tim Staley and with the help of the Austin community we are destined to create a great library system for our great city,” said Teresa Oppedal, Austin Public Library Foundation Board President.

Tim Staley will be introduced at this year’s annual fundraising event, Texas Tales on Saturday, June 28 at the Mexican American Cultural Center, 600 River St.  For more information about Texas Tales or the APLF visit www.austinlibrary.org or call 542.0076.

About the Executive Director:

Tim Staley is coming to the APLF from a non-profit organization committed to the education and promotion of the contemporary visual arts of Texas, Art Lies, where he held the position of Executive Director.  He was responsible for directing and managing all aspects of the organization.  Prior to his work at Art Lies, he was the Development Officer for University of Texas Press where he launched a multi-million dollar capital campaign. 

An advocate and proponent of literacy and education, Tim has a strong passion for libraries. He grew up in a family that valued reading and education.  His father, Thomas F. Staley is the Director of one of Texas finest institutions, Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin. Tim has been in Austin for almost 20 years and has an M.F.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and a B.A. in English from Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio. Aside from his passion of libraries he is committed to Austin, Texas and is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life through his work at the Library Foundation.  Tim and his wife have two young boys and they live in south Austin.

About the Austin Public Library Foundation
The Austin Public Library Foundation is a non-profit 501(c) (3) corporation founded in 1995 to increase public awareness about the Library and its importance to the community, and to enhance Library collections, programs and services through financial support. The Foundation has received major gifts from The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the RGK Foundation, and from Advanced Micro Devices, the Austin Community Foundation, Bank of America, Bingo Books, the Dell Foundation, Harcourt Supplemental (Steck-Vaughn), H-E-B, The Junior League of Austin, the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Foundation, the AT&T Foundation, the Topfer Family Foundation, Tokyo Electron, the Still Water Foundation, and the Webber Family Foundation.

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