Metropolis Public Library’s Board of Trustees voted Monday to appoint a new interim director.
Colby Kennedy – a former employee of the library, including a prior stint as interim director – will temporarily serve as the leader of the Massac County institution.
Kennedy replaces former library director Rosemary Baxter, who the board fired last week following its identifying several contract violations on her behalf – including a failure to “separate personal convictions” from the publicly-funded role.
After more than an hour in executive session at its special-called meeting Monday, the board also voted to continue the library’s after-school program through the end of the school year. Three local teachers will be volunteering their time to keep the program running over the next couple of months.
Rhonda James, the Board of Trustees chair, said some library staff members resigned after Baxter’s contract termination. That led to a staffing shortage for the library’s after-school program, and the programming was canceled for three school days.
James said now that there are people in place to keep the program running, the board is prepared to take its next steps toward hiring a new director.
“I'm just glad we're past this hump. We're looking toward the future and we're not looking back,” she said.
Over the next few months, James said the Metropolis library’s board will meet more frequently to form hiring and finance committees in looking for its next permanent director. She said Kennedy’s experience as a past employee – as well as his experience cataloging library collections – will be a boon for the library’s transition period.
The library’s board of trustees holds regular meetings on the third Tuesday of each month.
