My guests are Dr. Terry Kirchner and Patricia Dohrenwend, from the Westchester Library System and our subject is the future of libraries, how they are evolving, what they could look like in the future.

Dr. Terry Kirchner joined the Westchester Library System as Executive Director in January 2009 and oversees all aspects of the 38-member public library system. His experience in various management positions at public and academic libraries spans more than 15 years. Previously, Dr. Kirchner served as Director for Access Services at Columbia University Libraries. There, he coordinated and led system-wide interaction between activities across 22 campus libraries, launched effective assessment and marketing programs, conducted ongoing strategic planning and implementation, and expanded the campus-wide interlibrary loan operations. In his prior position at the New York Public Library, Dr. Kirchner managed numerous public service operations, coordinated interlibrary loan operations across its major research centers, and directed the inventory and relocation of over 2 million volumes to an offsite, high-density storage facility.

Patti Dohrenwend and Terry Kirchner

Skilled in fostering collaborative and cooperative team-based work groups, Dr. Kirchner earned his doctorate in Human and Organizational Systems from Fielding Graduate University. He holds an MBA in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Baruch College and an MLS degree from Rutgers University. Dr. Kirchner has actively participated in the American Library Association and the New York Chapter of the Special Libraries Association.

Patricia (Patty) Dohrenwend is Director of Westchester County’s Archives and Records Center, a unit within the Department of Information Technology. She was elected as a Trustee of the Westchester Library System in 2002 and currently serves as Board President. In addition to this board, Patty also serves on two state boards supporting the work of the NYS Archives and the State Education Department: the Local Government Records Advisory Council (since 2001) and the State Historical Records Advisory Board (since 2006). Previously, she served for fifteen years as the elected Town Clerk of Eastchester, where she also has participated in many volunteer activities.

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