Lex' page

I was born in 1953 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. In 1959 our family moved to Rijswijk, a town close to The Hague. Here I grew up and spent my school years. After graduating from high school I studied for librarian. In 1977 I got my first job at a mobile library and was in charge of a small library annex a year later. After my marriage I moved to Boston, Massachusetts. Here I worked for the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), first as Supervisor for the Circulating Library and later as Director of Library User Services.

In 1992 my wife and I moved back to the Netherlands, where I became director of the public library in Nijkerk. In those years the internet was rapidly evolving and I got intrigued by this phenomenon and ICT. As one of the first libraries in the province of Gelderland the Nijkerk library offered internet access to the public and a few years later introduced the multi-functional chipknip (a bankcard with a pay chip that could also be used as the library membership card). 

I presently work as a Consultant for Digital Information at the provincial service organization for libraries in Gelderland. In this position I advise library staff on digital projects. Besides that I'm also the provincial service manager for De G!DS. De G!DS (litterally translated as "The Guide") is a fast growing national database, containing national, provincial, regional and local cultural/community address information as well as thousands of internet links. My main job here is to help participants using en maintaining the data.
For more info on my job career see my Linkedin profile.

In my free time I'm an enthusiastic computer hobbyist and system manager for our Windows home-network. I also like to experiment with my HP Pre3 smartphone and maintain this website. Other personal hobbies are listening to music (blues, rock, Americana, pop music from the sixties and seventies) and watching "quality" movies. I also like soccer. This is strongly encouraged by my sport loving sons Eric and Kevin. Together we often watch matches on tv and regularly visit our favorite team Feyenoord, when they play at their stadium in Rotterdam.