Mitzi Perdue Appointed to National Library Commission

SALISBURY, MD---When thinking of the phrase “endangered species,” images of African elephants and grizzly bears often spring to mind. Few think of libraries, another “species” endangered not by hunters and harsh weather, but by escalating journal costs and frozen or prorated budgets. Salisbury University’s Blackwell Library honored philanthropist Mitzi Perdue for her dedication to supporting the country’s libraries and her recent appointment by President Bush as one of 12 members of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. A 12-year member of the Library of Congress’ James Madison Society—the library’s primary link to the business community—she believes the finest use of taxpayers’ money is library support. “Libraries are fortunate to have Mitzi Perdue as their advocate,” said Dr. Alice Bahr, dean of libraries and instructional services at SU. “She brings her considerable intelligence, organizational talent and unflagging enthusiasm to the support of libraries at a time when they are all asked to do more with less.” As a member of the national commission, Perdue will help create policy concerning libraries and the dissemination and use of information in the United States. With a background in the media, Perdue has worked for the Scripps Howard News Service through which her column, “The Environment and You” was syndicated to some 420 newspapers. She has produced more than 400 half-hour programs for her TV series, Country Magazine, broadcast on KXTV in Sacramento, CA, and had her own syndicated TV series, Country Comments, shown twice weekly for two years on 76 stations in syndication. Her "People Helping People" column, celebrating local non-profit organizations, appears weekly in The Daily Times. The wife of philanthropist Frank Perdue, she holds a bachelor’s in government from Harvard University and a master’s in public administration from George Washington University. She is past president of the 50,000-member American Agri-Women and has served on the Board of Visitors at the University of California at Davis Medical School and the Devense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services. She also was a U.S. delegate for the United Nations Conference on Women in Nairobi and served as a visiting scholar at the National Agricultural Library from 1995-1998. Perdue has received numerous awards for her public service, including the National Caring Institute Award, given to the 10 most caring people in America in 1994; Maryland Governor’s Citation for Leadership in 2003; and Salisbury Award for serving the city earlier this year. For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU Web site at www.salisbury.edu.