The Hillsdale Community Library hopes to hire a new director by November, according to Board President Jim Bowen.
Bowen said the previous director resigned in late July, and the board has been working on finding a new hire since. This past Monday, board members and library staff held a special meeting to discuss the pool of applicants and narrow down the options before conducting interviews.
The board decided to offer interviews to three candidates based on a number of factors including education, experience, and place of residence. The three chosen for interviews stood out because of the enthusiasm expressed in their application documents, according to George Allen, vice president of the board and Mossey Library public services librarian.
“They went beyond just filling out the form and they gave us something personalized that told us a lot about them. I think it certainly made them appear to be the most promising candidates,” Allen said.
The library director position entails the day-to-day administrative operations of library management, according to Bowen. He said the library director is responsible for collection development and acquisitioning books, whether through donations or purchases.
“They also deal with budget, overseeing maintenance of the building, and working with the city for services the city provides to the library,” Bowen said.
Although the director position has stood vacant for months, library staff have worked hard to continue providing excellent service to patrons, according to Board Trustee Karen Hill.
“The staff has been resilient and they’ve really stepped up,” Hill said.
Hill also said city administrators have been helpful during the transition period between directors.
The board and the staff said there is a great need in the community for a passionate, engaging director who is willing to work with the children and families who make use of the library.
“At this point it’s really a matter of finding the right person for the library as a whole, but also someone that can work well with the library staff,” Bowen said. “We have a great staff and I think they’re really committed to the library. Hopefully we can have someone that can relate to them.”
Bowen also said the need for a strong candidate to fill the director position is particularly great at this time in the community.
“This is sort of an unusual situation coming out of COVID, trying to just get people back in and using the library,” Bowen said.
Allen said the new director must be able to relate to the community and cater to its unique needs. Staff member Heidi Pruitt said she would prefer working with a director who goes beyond the basic day-to-day responsibilities the position requires.
“We’re not just books, we’re a community,” Pruitt said.