Jane Burke
Class of 1965Alumni Recognition Award, 2006
Jane Burke graduated from Naperville Central in 1965. Upon graduating, Jane attended St. Dominic College in St. Charles, graduating Summa Cum Laude. She further enriched her educational experience by earning a Master’s Degree in Library Science from Rosary College and yet another Master’s Degree in Management from Northwestern University.
After gaining much experience in the work force through holding jobs at libraries and library related companies, Jane served as Director of NOTIS Systems, a company within Northwestern University that designed software as an automation solution for large academic libraries. Jane helped the company grow into a $3 million company by the time she reached the position of President. In 1995, she co-founded Endeavor Information Systems, a firm focused information retrieval technology for higher education and research institutions. Under Jane, the company blossomed into a $28 million company which served many great institutions: Library of Congress, National Library of Medicine, Yale University, and Purdue University. Jane now serves as an Executive in charge of Serials Solutions, a provider of digital tools to manage the electronic collections of libraries, a part of ProQuest Information and Learning.
While working her many jobs, Jane has received many awards for her outstanding work in the field of technology:
· Chicago Software Association Lighthouse Award, 2001
· I-Street Magazine’s Top 50 Emerging Tech Companies, 2001
· #3 in Chicagoland, Deloitte & Touche Technology Fast Growing Companies, 2000
· Women in Black, 2000
· Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, 1999
· Illinois High Tech Award, 1998As a respected contributor to her field, Jane has served on many professional boards and committees, including the Board of Governors at Northwestern University Library, Gallagher Systems Inc., the Chicago Software Association, and even the American Library Association.
Jane has been featured in numerous publications including Library Journal, an interview in Against the Grain, Think on the Present and Future of the Online Catalog: Proceedings, and Library Acquisitions: Practice and Theory and also co-authoring an article entitled “The New Paradigms of E-serials”.
Jane’s achievements and desire to shape the technology behind the information and communication industries has left a lasting impact on not just our community but the entire nation. Her relentless dedication to her field exemplifies how we should all approach our lives and continues to shape the ever-changing world we live in.
NAME'S MESSAGE TO STUDENTS: Life offers interesting challenges - usually when you least expect them. Don't be afraid to accept.
