RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Brian Bannon is retiring as Chief Executive Officer and Commissioner of the Chicago Public Library, one of the largest urban public libraries in the world, after seven years of dedicated and distinguished service; and
WHEREAS, the Chicago City Council has been informed of his departure by Alderman Edward M. Burke; and
WHEREAS, Brian Bannon received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Pacific Lutheran College University in 1997 and a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Washington Information School; and
WHEREAS, Brian Bannon attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and is a 2017 Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute in Washington D.C.; and
WHEREAS, Brian Bannon began his career with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as a Curriculum Developer/Technology Trainer where he helped provide public Internet access by leveraging public libraries in the U.S., and then globally; and
WHEREAS, as the Technology Instruction and Branch Manager for the Seattle Public Library, Brian Bannon oversaw the design and delivery of technology instruction and managed the design and launch of three new branches; and
WHEREAS, in September 2006, Brian Bannon joined the San Francisco Public Library as the Chief of Branches, where, over the next five-and-one-half years, he spearheaded a $200-million-dollar capital improvement program resulting in the opening of twenty-four new and renovated branch locations across the city; it's success measured by a forty-percent increase in patron usage; and
WHEREAS, Brian Bannon received appointment from former Mayor Rahm Emanuel to serve as Chief Executive Officer and Library Commissioner in March 2012; and
WHEREAS, Brian Bannon managed a $130 million-dollar annual budget, 1,000 employees servicing seventy-seven retail sites, two regional hubs, and the 750,000-square-foot Harold Washington Library, the central facility of the City of Chicago library system; and
WHEREAS, Brian Bannon successfully launched the Chicago Public Library's comprehensive five-year strategic plan aligned with former Mayor Rahm Emanuel's education initiatives and economic development priorities; and
WHEREAS, during his tenure, Brian Bannon changed the library's organizational direction and brought human-centered design and experimentation to the forefront of the Chicago Public Library's programming and operations; and
WHEREAS, notable among his many achievements was the start-up of the first Maker Lab in the Harold Washington Library, designed to improve responsiveness to patron needs by offering innovative models of learning and engagement; and
WHEREAS, under his direction, the beneficial YOUmedia student program expanded and has been replicated across the United States in numerous museums, libraries, and after school centers and has evolved into a proven model for college and career success; and
WHEREAS, Brian Bannon serves on the Board of Directors of the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Digital Public Library of America, and Illinois Humanities; and
WHEREAS, through his wisdom and guidance, Brian Bannon has greatly enriched the library experience for students, adult learners and all of the citizens of Chicago; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Mayor and the members of the Chicago City Council assembled this twentieth day of May, 2019, do hereby thank Brian Bannon for his seven years of leadership, foresight and vision as Executive Vice President and Commissioner of the Chicago Public Library, and wish him the very best as he begins the next phase of his life; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Brian Bannon.
