Simmons College

Monique le Conge has been the Director of Library & Cultural Services for the City of Richmond, California since October 2004. In addition to the Richmond Public Library, Monique supervises the Arts & Culture department for the City of Richmond. For several years, she also supervised the City's Recreation Department. Before coming to Richmond, Monique was Director of the Benicia (CA) Public Library. Monique earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Design from UC Davis in 1987. She followed with a Masters of Library and Information Studies from UC Berkeley in 1988. Since then, Monique has worked as a library consultant in California, as a Librarian for the Solano County (CA) Library, and as a Young Adult Librarian for the Benicia (CA) Public Library before being selected as Library Director in 1998. She has published articles about customer service, particularly to young adults, and has conducted numerous workshops on the subject. Professionally, she has been a mentor for the Eureka! Leadership Institute and participated in the American Library Association, serving on the Caldecott and Batchelder Medal Committees, chairing PLA committees, serving on the YALSA Board, and as a YALSA Serving the Underserved Trainer. She has served as president for BayNet and the Association of Children's Librarians of Northern California. In 2008, Monique was President of the California Library Association. After more than 20 years in public libraries, Monique is interested in the roles of librarians in municipal government, customer service, organizational development, and collaboration in all its forms.