Well respected librarian and leader Catherine Clark has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the State Library of Western Australian and will commence on April 1, 2022.
Ms Clark will replace current CEO and State Librarian Margaret Allen PSM, who is retiring on March 31, 2022.
As the State Librarian, Ms Clark will be responsible for shaping and achieving the State Library’s strategic, business, policy and budget objectives, and supporting the implementation of whole-of-government priorities.
Ms Clark has extensive experience working in complex library and information service environments, and is currently employed as Curtin University’s Librarian and Director of John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library.
In this role, she leads the University’s library and learning skills services across all of Curtin’s learning, teaching and research community. She in responsible for libraries in the Western Australian campuses and also provides advice to Curtin’s campuses in Dubai, Malaysia, Mauritius and Singapore.
As stated by the Culture and the Arts Minister David Templeman:
“I congratulate Ms Clark on her appointment and look forward to working with her on the implementation of the McGowan Government’s election commitments and other literacy initiatives.
“I would also like to acknowledge and thank Margaret Allen PSM for her work over the past 17 years and her achievements during that time.
“Public libraries are an important community resource that continue to be as relevant today as ever due to the advent of digital technology.
“For example, I know many public libraries are assisting people to set up their ServiceWA app, something that will go a long way towards helping many people who find technology daunting.”
