Hi! I’m Lex, and I’m the Director of the Friends & Foundation of Albany Public Library. I have been working here since December of 2016. I am originally from New York City. I was a teacher at the Albany Free School about 20 years ago, and then moved back to New York City. I returned to Albany with my family in 2013.
When I returned to Albany, I volunteered with Grand Street Community Arts, an arts center on Grand and Madison that I had helped to found with other neighbors and artists back in 2003. YouthFX was a program of Grand Street Community Arts at that time, transitioning into becoming an independent organization. “YouthFX at APL” showed me that 21st century libraries are much more than books and storytimes. I wanted to help, and I felt so lucky when they chose me to run their Foundation.
Since then, I have formalized our giving process so that donors can see what programs their gifts are supporting, worked with the Friends and Foundation to merge, and have organized a great many readings and events. By popular demand, I also brought back book sales! And I have had so much fun getting to know all of our Literary Legends and many of our donors.
I have loved libraries since about 3rd grade: I changed schools in the middle of that year so we could live with my grandmother, which was tough. I spent most every afternoon at the Osterhout Free Library in my grandmother’s town, and I learned how to be at home in the library. In high school, the Mid-Manhattan Library on 40th Street was my main after-school haunt. (I need to visit their new building!) I had just gotten the hang of using their phone-book sized catalogs when they took them all away and replaced them with computer terminals! They offered great “Learn to Search” classes then, which I think gave me a leg up in college, as classmates wondered “where is the card catalog?” I was soon tracking down concert recordings in the Performing Arts Library, which became my other favorite place in New York City. Now, like you, I usually check Youtube before a library catalog for concerts, but I love to explore library map collections. My favorites are at the Boston Public Library and the Library of Congress.
Since Meet Our Board posts are running all month, it seemed like a good time to post some Meet Our Staff posts, too! Alexis Bhagat is the Executive Director of the Friends & Foundation of Albany Public Library. If you call our office, he is the one who will answer the phone. 518-427-4300 x0367.
