160 Speaker Series: Building a New York Public Library for the Digital Generation

Thursday May 26, 2022, 4:00 PM → 5:00 PM America/New_York

Gerald D. Fischbach Auditorium/2-GDFA (160 5th Avenue)

We look forward to welcoming you to the 160 Speaker Series talk, Building a New York Public Library for the Digital Generation, on Thursday, May 26 at 4:00 p.m. in the Gerald D. Fischbach Auditorium at 160 Fifth Avenue.

For more than 125 years, the New York Public Library (NYPL) has provided New Yorkers of all ages with free and open access to books, information, ideas, educational resources and so much more. Boasting 92 locations across the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island, it is the nation’s largest public library system and has become regarded as a beloved cornerstone within the many communities it serves. And while the physical branches remain an irreplaceable staple at the heart of their work, their innovative digital initiatives strive to expand access to resources, adapt services to virtual visitors’ modern needs and create new opportunities for them to engage with lifelong learning.

Join the NYPL’s chief digital officer, Tony Ageh, as he discusses the future of the library’s ongoing digital transformation.

Speaker Bio:
Ageh is The New York Public Library’s chief digital officer, responsible for the institution’s ongoing digital transformation and its visionary work in making its collections and services as accessible as possible.

Ageh came to the library from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in London, where he held various leadership positions since 2002 and managed over 300 staff members. His accomplishments include the development and implementation of the BBC’s internet strategy, which grew its web traffic from 2 million users per day to over 25 million over five years, and the creation and implementation of the BBC iPlayer (an internet streaming catchup television and radio service for people in the United Kingdom), which has delivered over 10 billion programs to the British public and on average receives 10 million requests per day.

Most recently, Ageh acted as controller of the BBC’s Archive Strategy, making their substantial archives of radio, television, images, and documents — and by extension, British culture and creativity — increasingly accessible to the public in the UK and beyond.

In 2015, Ageh was awarded the Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for services to digital media.

EVENT SCHEDULE:
4:00 – 5:00 pm, Talk and Q&A
5:00 – 6:00 pm, Reception of light bites and drinks on the promenade outside of the GDFA

The Simons Foundation’s 160 Speaker Series is a private lecture series for Simons Foundation, Euclidean, Gradian, Felicity House, Foundation for a Just Society, Math for America staff. All staff are encouraged to make every effort to attend these special events. 

Please contact ewood@simonsfoundation.org should you have any questions.