Library Director Search Committee Provides Progress Update

After receiving its charge from the Library Trustees in late May, the Director Search Committee has been working diligently and has held weekly meetings since June 6.  

The Committee is chaired by Library Trustee Mary Riffe Hiss and is comprised of fellow Trustees Hyacinth Crichlow, Janet Evans and Brendan McLaughlin; Friends representative Elizabeth Buchanan; and Foundation representative Gene Boylan.  

Since June 1, Assistant Director Dan Haacker has been serving as Interim Director for the Library.

The first work of the Committee was outreach to Milton to identify the characteristics important to the community in the next Library Director.  Many one-on-one interviews and conversations were held with Library constituents ranging from town administration, church, community, political, and school leadership as well as with Library staff.  

The Milton community responded to the online survey posted on the Library website and to the paper survey available at the Library throughout June.  

The Committee incorporated the information gathered from this outreach effort to shape the job profile for the next director which was posted in the public domain and on the Library website in early July.  The Committee is grateful to the entire Milton community and Library staff for their help in responding to the outreach process.

The Search Committee hosted Cynthia Roach, Head of Library Advisory & Development & Government Liaison, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners to review the overall Milton search plan and to obtain guidance.  She affirmed the Commonwealth job requirements for the position as consisting of a Masters in Library Science and a Certificate of Professional Librarianship from the MA Board, and supported the Committee’s requirement of five years of progressively responsible library leadership as appropriate for the role.  

Ms. Roach was very helpful in connecting the Search Committee to other librarian job networks and resources in New England, including those with diverse membership.

The Library Director role was posted on many nationwide and state library job posting websites (American Library Association, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, MA All Regions, Job Line at Simmons, LISJobs, and Media Source).  Applications have been coming into the Town Administrator’s Office via Interim Town Administrator Annemarie Fagan since mid-July and will be accepted through the deadline of September 7.  

The Search Committee is actively screening applications via telephone and is currently scheduling in-person interviews for qualified candidates for August.  

Further updates on the Committee’s progress will be provided to the Milton Community throughout the next few months.  Please contact the Search Committee at MiltonLibraryDirectorSearch@gmail.com for questions or comments about the process.

The above release was provided by Library Director Search Committee Chair Mary Riffe Hiss.