Candidate Statement - James English

Foundation Members and Colleagues,

It is an honor to nominate as well as represent the New York Public Library (NYPL), Astor Lenox and Tilden Foundation as a candidate for the Board of Directors of the Readium Foundation. Like the IDPF, NYPL lends a unique, yet important voice as a not for profit institution. As a research library, public circulating library and cultural heritage institution, NYPL has a rich history of fostering communities and open access projects. Through its membership in the Readium Foundation, and hopeful election to the Board, NYPL hopes to help preserve and advance access to knowledge and information in the evolving digital format. It recognizes the importance of digital publishing, EPUB and the Open Web Platform to the current and future generations of library users and non-users and offers its leadership and experience to Readium in this endeavor. Having introduced NYPL to the Readium Foundation, as well as secure it’s financial commitment to the foundation, I feel a personal commitment to the success of this membership. As the Project Director for Library Simplified, an Institute of Museum and Library Science (IMLS) Leadership Grant funded initiative aimed at improving library access to eBooks and digital content, I hope to maximize the adoption of Readium technologies and standards in the commercial and public sector as well as secure a lasting impact for library users of eBooks. My past experience as a CEO and COO of a two software development companies provides a working knowledge and understanding of the importance of standards in the technology development world. As demonstrated in the recent Open Book Hackthon at NYPL, I believe I demonstrate a willing and able partner to the foundation’s leadership and management as it seeks to foster a vibrant community around EPUB and the Open Web Platform.

Thank you. James English Sr Product Owner Library Simplified The New York Public Library