Library: Peter Persic, former Director of Public Relations and Marketing, retired in March after 31 years of City service. He worked for the Library for 28 of those years.
A retirement luncheon was held in his honor.
Under his watch, the department underwent its most significant period of expansion, innovation and transformation in its 150-year history, according to a Council resolution.
He began working for the Library in 1991 and was promoted to the public relations director at Animal Services in 1995, and then back to the Library in 1998. He built a multi-skilled staff to communicate the Library’s mission in the new millennium.
Peter and his PR team won several prestigious awards for the Library, including the 2015 National Medal from the Institute of Museum and Library Services for highlighting innovative library programs for veterans, immigrants and families; the 2017 California Library Association Excellence Award for creating the library’s amnesty campaign that led to the return of nearly 65,000 overdue or lost library items and added nearly 21,000 new or unblocked library cardholders; and the 2019 American Library Association’s John Cotton Dana Library PR Award for the New Americans Initiative that offers free immigrant integration assistance and citizenship services.
Through decades of recessions, expansions, innovations in technology and the passage of Measure L, the landmark legislation that restored the Library budget and permanently stabilized its funding.
On top of all that, he also helped Alive! tell many great stories of Library employees at their best.
The Club congratulates Peter on his retirement and wishes him a future of many more great stories.
