Ms. Talley has more than 30 years of experience in libraries and project management. She has extensive experience working with libraries and information centers to facilitate strategic plans that align operations with management expectations and increase value. Ms. Talley’s related experience encompasses designing the data gathering tools that support strategic and operational initiatives. As a Division Manager, she provides operations and administrative contract oversight of several ZAI library contracts.
Prior to joining ZAI, Ms. Talley spent 25 years as the founder and principal of two different, highly successful organizational library-centric companies, Library Management Systems and TalleyPartners. She also spent more than 10 years as a Project Director at Axelroth & Associates, leading complex strategic planning projects for government, non-profit and corporate libraries.
Ms. Talley is an active member and Fellow of the Special Libraries Association (SLA), for which she has also served as President of the DC Chapter and on the Board of Directors as Chapter Cabinet Chair and Secretary. Mary is a recipient of the SLA Rose A Volmelker Award for Mentoring and an SLA Presidential Citation. She is a frequent speaker and writer on topics related to the future of libraries, as well as on library and information management related topics. She holds an MLS degree from the University of Michigan.
Traveling and experiencing new people and cultures is Ms. Talley’s passion. She has traveled to all but one continent – Antarctica; hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu; ridden horses in Mongolia; kayaked among icebergs in the Arctic; trailed leopards from elephant-back in Nepal; and loved the storytelling in Ireland.
