Name Change for our Library Team at DPI

From DPI's WI Libraries for Everyone  blog, July 28, 2025 

DPI's Library Services Now Bureau of Libraries

Monday, July 28, 2025

The Library Services Team is now operating under the new name — Bureau of Libraries. The name change is part of State Superintendent Jill Underly’s new organizational structure for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. This reorganization empowers the agency to do the work required by law and the work required to fulfill the DPI’s vision of engaged learners creating a better Wisconsin together. The DPI Strategic Plan, along with the agency’s legal responsibilities, are the backbone of the new structure. 

Under this new structure, the Division for Libraries and Technology will use the working title Division of School and Library Operations and be led by Chanell Crawford, who previously served as the DPI’s Assistant State Superintendent of the Division for Finance and Management. Within the division will be the Bureau of Libraries, previously known as the Library Services Team. Ben Miller will continue leading the work of the Bureau of Libraries and assume the title of State Librarian. Beth Tomev will also continue in her leadership role within the Bureau overseeing Library Development. As this reorganization progresses, the Bureau of Libraries will send further details regarding the make-up of the Bureau.  

The work of the Bureau of Libraries remains the same.  

The Bureau of Libraries provides leadership, support, and oversight to Wisconsin’s network of more than 467 public libraries, 15 regional library systems, and school libraries. The Bureau also collaborates with and supports tribal, academic, and special libraries. The Bureau empowers libraries to best serve their communities by providing leadership, facilitating collaboration, acknowledging unique perspectives, and supporting innovation.  
 
Key responsibilities include:  

• Statewide Library Support
  Overseeing and supporting the operations of regional public library systems and promoting collaboration, resource sharing, and consistent service standards across communities and libraries of all types and sizes. 
• Library Development and Innovation
  Providing guidance and professional development to library directors and staff in areas such as planning, inclusive services, youth engagement, digital literacy, resource sharing, and community outreach. 
• Funding and Resource Allocation
  Administering state and federal funds, including the Public Library System Aid and Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grants, to support library operations, technology upgrades, and equitable access initiatives. 
• Policy, Planning, and Data
  Advising on public library policy and legislation, managing statewide library data collection and reporting, and supporting data-informed planning and decision-making.  

Keep reaching out the way you always have. The Bureau of Libraries staff will keep you updated on any additional changes.  

Please contact us if you have any questions. The DPI remains committed to building a focused, collaborative, and outcomes-driven agency. More specifically, the Bureau of Libraries’s work will continue to empower Wisconsin libraries to best serve their communities.