New director shows off his favorite at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1/5/16

David Templeton, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; New director shows off his favorite at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History:

"Mr. Dorfman, 52, began his role as museum director on Aug. 31, based largely on notable successes he had during a 4½-year stint as director of the Whanganui Regional Museum and Ward Observatory on New Zealand’s North Island.

That dual-culture museum with half its board members from the indigenous Maori population persuaded him to interact with the community to understand how the museum best could reflect local culture and community interests. That connection helped him craft a visitor-friendly thrust of exhibitions and programs weaving indigenous perspectives with natural and cultural history. In one example, he had Maori artists do modern artwork with gourds while encouraging children communitywide to grow them.

And such ideas worked with annual visitation quadrupling in four years from 19,000 to 74,000 people, and the museum’s funding base expanding by 35 percent...

“He’s demonstrated leadership skills and is well-versed in natural history museums and the challenges facing them,” said Lee B. Foster, chairman of the natural history museums board of directors. “And he is someone who has dealt with and accomplished change in improving the visitor experience and admissions.”

His skill in interacting regularly with the community coupled with fundraising success “probably were the key characteristics we were looking for, and I can tell you that Eric hit every one of them,” he said."

Carnegie Library, recently in crisis mode, reports surplus, passes fundraising goal; Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 3/31/15

Tony Raap, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review; Carnegie Library, recently in crisis mode, reports surplus, passes fundraising goal:

"The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh had a $151,000 budget surplus in 2014 and exceeded its fundraising goal by $800,000, board members said Tuesday at their annual public meeting in Squirrel Hill...

The 19-branch library system had an operating budget of $30.59 million in 2014. Its expenses totaled $30.44 million, leaving a six-figure surplus.

“That really shows the library staff does an excellent job of managing the funds that are given to them to fund the library system,” said Greg Zovko, chair of the library's finance committee...

The state contributes about $3.3 million, but that funding has been flat the past four years, said Mary Frances Cooper, the library system's president and director.

The system's biggest expense is salaries and benefits, which total $18.39 million, or about 59 percent of its budget."

Website to raise funds for Wilson Center: Founders, others hope to resurrect debt-ridden center; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2/8/14

Diana Nelson Jones, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Website to raise funds for Wilson Center: Founders, others hope to resurrect debt-ridden center:

"More than 50 people filled a conference room and another 20 spilled into the main part of the Downtown branch of the Carnegie Library Saturday to plan a strategy to save the debt-strapped August Wilson Center for African American Culture...

One of the center's founders, former city councilman Sala Udin, told the gathering that the founding group is working to reverse the course and has retained an attorney to determine the legal framework for fundraising.

Support is being built for pledges on the website www.savetheaugustwilsoncenter.com."