Resolution Honoring the Service of Patricia A. Tumulty

Resolution Honoring the Service of Patricia A. Tumulty


Whereas Patricia A. Tumulty has dedicated her energy and passion for over forty-five years to the New Jersey library community;


Whereas thirty of those years were served in the role of Executive Director of the New Jersey Library Association, the oldest and largest library organization in the state, which provides professional development to library staff and trustees, as well as a leadership role in advocacy and public relations focusing on library services in the state;


Whereas Pat started her career in libraries in 1974 at Cumberland County Library and, among other things, gained experience in bookmobile services delivering materials to the Cumberland County Jail;


Whereas Pat worked in State Government as a Law Librarian for the New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate and then as a Consultant in the Library Development Bureau of the New Jersey State Library;


Whereas Pat became the third to hold the position of Executive Director of the New Jersey Library Association in 1991;


Whereas Pat has inspired many over her tenure as Executive Director that it would be impossible to list all accomplishments and meaningful interactions into a single written document;


Whereas Pat has guided and mentored NJLA Presidents through Executive Board meetings, legislative visits and testimonies, conferences, committee work, and more;


Whereas Pat’s leadership helped guide the development and organization of the New Jersey Library Network;


Whereas Pat has participated in overseeing the direct impact on communities of library users of all ages through projects including the statewide Summer Reading Program, One Book New Jersey, Snapshot Day, and more;


Whereas Pat’s dedication to librarianship is unrivaled and her desire to support and champion all of New Jersey’s librarians regardless of their place of employment is a legacy;


Whereas Pat has strongly supported certified school librarians through partnership with the New Jersey Association of School Librarians, Unlock Student Potential, and the American Library Association’s School Library Task Force;


Whereas there is no doubt that Pat will show up and speak up for what is needed to support library work and library workers, in support of her colleagues and the entire profession, including during the rally to restore Network Funding (2010) and the rally in the snow to support Orange Public Library (2013);


Whereas Pat gained incredible respect as a registered lobbyist in New Jersey, playing a leading role in successes such as the Higher Education Technology Act (1997), the Public Library Construction Bond Act (1999), the New Jersey Knowledge Initiative (2004), dedicated line legislation specifying that library funding must be placed as a separate line on property tax bills without a municipal “cap” (2011), the Library Stabilization Law (2013), the Public Library Construction Referendum (2017), and the Johnson Legislation (2017);


Whereas if there is a meeting that Pat has organized, all can expect to be welcomed with a warm smile and delicious chocolate (but please skip the fruit);


Whereas Pat shows her dedication daily to core principles of intellectual freedom, privacy and confidentiality, access, lifelong learning, and the public good;


Whereas Pat’s dedication to the cultivation of leaders in librarianship has spanned a generation;


Whereas the New Jersey Library Association honors Pat’s legacy of service and commitment to libraries and library workers on the occasion of her retirement on October 30, 2020;


Therefore Be It Resolved that the New Jersey Library Association Executive Board recognizes the great achievements of Patricia A. Tumulty and her impact on the New Jersey Library Association, library workers, and the library community at large, and wishes Pat many wonderful years of tennis, chocolate, and the best brewed beer throughout her retirement. And that’s it, done and done.


Mover: Jeanne Marie Ryan

Seconder: Corey Fleming

The resolution is accepted unanimously by the New Jersey Library Association Executive Board, October 20, 2020