It is tough to make the staff of a large, highly centralized urban library system believe they should make their own decisions and even take risks--all to serve their community better. But that is what Mary Graham has achieved as Brooklyn Public Library's director of the Office of Neighborhood Services. A study of Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) in 1998 found that the library served 150 different ethnic groups and that staff spoke 70 languages. It also revealed that stone branches in low-income areas could serve their constituencies better. Library managers wanted to correct this. But at the same time, the severe budget cuts that followed the September 11 attacks forced them to make the most efficient use of their resources. The solution to both problems was the Leadership Branch Initiative, a pilot project headed by Graham. This article describes this project and how Mary Graham played a significant role in making positive changes at the Brooklyn Public Library in New York.