Aliqae Geraci has been named the new director of the Walter P. Reuther Library and Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs. She will start in her new role on March 23.

“I am thrilled to join this organization and the Wayne State and Detroit community,” said Geraci. “I look forward to working with staff at the Reuther and the Library System, as well as connecting with Reuther donors and campus partners and exploring Reuther's locally oriented collections as I learn more about the city and the region.”

Geraci joins Wayne State from Cornell University, where she served most recently as the assistant director of the Martin P. Catherwood Library, one of the most comprehensive resources on labor and employment in North America. While at Cornell, Geraci held other leadership roles at the Catherwood Library in assessment, reference and instruction, and also served as assistant director of research and learning services. 

A former public librarian and union researcher, Geraci is an active public library advocate, active member of Local 1321 Queens Library Guild, and an analyst in AFSCME District Council 37’s research and negotiations department. Most recently, she served as chair of the ALA-APA Salaries and Status of Library Workers Committee, the co-chair of the AFL-CIO/ALA Labor Committee, and as the interim northeast regional representative on the executive board of the United Association for Labor Education.

 “We look forward to Ms. Geraci’s leadership at the Reuther Library,” said Jon E. Cawthorne, dean of the Wayne State University Library System. “Her knowledge and expertise on labor and archives will not only benefit the Reuther, but also the entire community that it serves.”

Geraci’s scholarly interests have explored labor and employment issues in libraries as well as labor relations documentation collected by labor libraries and archives. She is the co-author of Grassroots Library Advocacy and speaks and writes on salary negotiation and collective bargaining in libraries and the documentation of unions and the labor relations process.

Geraci holds a bachelor’s in economics and labor studies from the SUNY Empire State College, a master’s in labor studies from the City University of New York, and a master’s in library and information science from Long Island University.

The Wayne State University Library System consists of the university's five libraries: The David Adamany Undergraduate Library, the Purdy/Kresge Library, the Shiffman Medical Library, the Arthur Neef Law Library and the Reuther Library as well as the School of Information Sciences.

Wayne State University is a premier institution offering nearly 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 27,000 students.