This is an especially bright moment for the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) – one of the nation's great private research libraries, with exceptional resources in the art and culture of New England and early America, Native America, Asia, Oceania, and Africa. Before the expansion and enhancement of PEM galleries in 2003, the library underwent a major restoration that included installing state-of the-art technology for the storage and protection of rare documents and the updating of accommodations for researchers.

Now, PEM is launching a national search for an experienced Library Director who has the entrepreneurial vision and the ability to blend traditional scholarship with new technologies and to provide strong leadership to the institution. This is a senior-level position that will report to the highest levels of the museum's administration. (See: http://www.pem.org/getinvolved/employment.php)

The museum is also in the process of re-energizing the Visiting Committee of the Phillips Library, a group similar to those that serve the museum's curatorial departments. Committee members will meet periodically to review and discuss critical issues affecting the library and counsel the museum administration on these issues, as well as provide and advocate for financial support of the library. The committee will include members of the museum's board of trustees and overseers as well as other individuals who are committed to the Phillips Library, its collections, and its future.

The goal of these and related initiatives is to make the Phillips Library an increasingly active intellectual center that supports the Peabody Essex Museum's global scope and mission.