About

I’ve spent my entire career in CUNY libraries, starting as an intern and working through reference, instruction, e-resources, technical services, and web services across multiple campuses before moving into systems. That path is a big part of how I think about this work now.

Today I lead a small team of systems librarians responsible for the platforms, discovery systems, and shared tools that keep CUNY’s 31 academic libraries connected across 26 campuses. We led the university-wide migration from Aleph to Alma, and more recently we’ve been focused on building shared technical capacity—through open-source tooling, cross-campus knowledge sharing, and initiatives like an AI literacy cohort for CUNY librarians.

When I’m not thinking about library systems, I’m usually knitting, riding my bike, or cooking something vegan. I keep saying I’m going to get back into weightlifting.

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Projects

• Library Agentic AI Peer Mentoring Program—a 16-week cohort where 13 CUNY librarians build practical AI tools and develop critical evaluation skills, sponsored by the Office of Library Services (Spring 2026)
• Shelf Help—a quarterly webinar series where my team reviews the Alma/Primo VE release notes and shares the most pertinent updates with CUNY library staff and faculty
• Fulfillment Drop-In and Analytics Drop-In—casual, office hours-style sessions for cross-campus collaboration, knowledge building, and troubleshooting
• Alma Letters—version-controlled patron notification templates (headers, receipts, overdue notices) synced across CUNY’s 22 Alma institution zones via the Configuration API

Experience

• The City University of New York
  • University Director of Library Systems (2020–present)
  • University Web & Mobile Systems Librarian (2013–2020)
  • Substitute University Web & Mobile Systems Librarian (2012–2013)
• New York City College of Technology
  • Substitute Technical Services/Electronic Resources Librarian (2012)
  • Adjunct Librarian (2011)
• Lehman College
  • Librarian for the High School of American Studies (2011)
  • Substitute Instructional Technologies Librarian (2010–2011)
• College of Staten Island
  • Adjunct Librarian (2010)
• Brooklyn College
  • Adjunct Librarian (2009–2010)
  • Library College Assistant (2008–2010)
  • Library Intern (2008)

Education

• CUNY School of Professional Studies—Advanced Certificate, Project Management (2025)
• Rutgers University—Master of Library & Information Science (2010)
• Brooklyn College—Bachelor of Science, Computer Science (2008)

Contact

• alevtina.verbovetskaya@cuny.edu
• 646-664-8205
• 555 W 57th St, Rm. 1685, New York, NY 10019