October 23, 2008 Library of Congress Appoints Chief of the Federal Research Division

Press Contact: Audrey Fischer (202) 707-0022

David Osborne has been appointed chief of the Library’s Federal Research Division (FRD). “David Osborne is s widely respected author and director of customized, open-source research projects, products and translations,” said Jeremy E.A. Adamson, director for Collections and Services. “He’s a strategic leader with a proven ability to broaden the division’s client base among a wide range of targeted government agencies, departments, archives and commissions.” Osborne received a bachelor’s degree in history and Russian from the University of Nebraska and a doctorate in Russian from Ohio State University. He joined FRD’s Science and Technology Unit in 1978, where he performed research on physical oceanography and nuclear technology. In 1996, he became supervisor of the unit, continuing to research and write analytical reports on science and technology topics while supervising the research and report writing of staff unit members. In 2000, he was promoted to head of FRD’s Research Section, supervising 20 full-time research analysts and 25 additional expert contractors who perform a wide range of research projects. In addition to his supervisory research duties, Osborne has been responsible for FRD’s marketing efforts. During his career in FRD, Osborne has contributed to a number of Library-wide initiatives. In the 1990s he co-wrote a report for the associate librarian for Constituent Services on the future space needs for the book collections and contributed to a special Librarian’s task force on science and technology information in the Library. In 2006–2007, he participated in a working group for the Library Services Performance Planning and Management Program on promoting onsite research and scholarship at the Library. Osborne has served as author or co-author of more than 100 studies, bibliographies and reference works, including “Domestic Trends to the Year 2015: Forecasts for the United States” and, most recently, “History of the U.S. Army Battle Command Training Program, 1987-2003.” The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution, is the world’s preeminent reservoir of knowledge, providing unparalleled integrated resources to Congress and the American people. Founded in 1800, the Library seeks to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, which bring to bear the world’s knowledge in almost all of the world’s languages. The Federal Research Division provides research and analysis on a cost-recovery basis to federal agencies, the District of Columbia and authorized federal contractors. Through a comprehensive services agreement with the U.S. National technical Information Service, FRD can provide custom research services to the private sector, state and local government, international organizations, and others. The division celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2008. For more information about the division, go to www.loc.gov/rr/frd/.

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PR 08-197
2008-10-23
ISSN 0731-3527