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Job Description

The Board of Directors of the Kanawha County Public Library seeks an experienced, collaborative, innovative, dedicated leader to serve as Library Director. The Kanawha County Public Library is more than a building. It is a topnotch library system with an exceptional reputation of vibrancy and trust among the public, local and state government, schools and hospitals, and businesses and community organizations. Headquartered in Charleston, West Virginia’s state capital, Kanawha County Public Library is West Virginia’s largest public library system with its downtown Main Library, nine branches and mobile library. The library boasts a robust $8 million-plus annual budget. The well-educated, experienced, forward-thinking 143-member staff offers extensive educational, recreational, and cultural materials, programs, and services to nearly 100,000 registered patrons residing locally and throughout the state. With its rich collection of print and electronic resources, Kanawha County Public Library circulated over 900,000 items and registered more than 300,000 website visits during 2018-19. Patrons can access print materials, enjoy Wi-Fi hotspots, and connect to Hoopla, Kanopy, and similar sites supported by the library’s own fiber-based data communications system and cloud-based ILS. A vibrant presence in the community and state, Kanawha County Public Library engages individuals, organizations, and businesses to enrich opportunities for residents. The annual West Virginia Book Fair; street fairs; pop-up libraries in local hospitals; outreach to children in daycare and schools; seminars for parents, foster parents, and grandparents; and specialized programs for residents of all ages are but a few examples of our successful community engagement programs. Kanawha County Public Library is in the midst of a major renovation project, one of the largest privately-funded public library building projects in the nation. Thanks to the generosity of numerous private donors and organizations, construction bids will be released in late 2019. With architectural leadership from HBM Architects, well known for its work in the library community, and Silling Architects, the massive redesign and expansion will “reimagine” Main, an iconic historic building situated on Charleston’s principal downtown avenue and will position the Library to inspire the community for the long-term.

The Community

Charleston, situated on the Kanawha (phonetically kuh-NAW-uh) River, a main West Virginia waterway, blends small town friendliness with urban amenities. “Hip, Historic Charleston” boasts an affordable cost of living and reasonable commutes, good public and private educational institutions preschool through graduate school, extensive cultural venues (including The Clay Center, the West Virginia Symphony, public art, galleries, privately owned bookstores, and nationally broadcast Mountain Stage radio show on NPR), numerous healthcare choices, a vibrant year-round farmers’ market, exceptional sports venues (including Appalachian Power Park for minor league baseball and a new state-of-the-art soccer complex), and a wide range of restaurants and nightlife. Yeager Airport is less than 10 minutes from downtown, as is the Amtrak station. World-class outdoor recreation includes hiking, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, mountain biking, boating, skiing, and off-road driving. New River Gorge National River is a short drive away, as are the National Boy Scout Summit Bechtel Reserve, and numerous local, state, and national parks and preserves.

HR Info

To apply for this position, please submit a cover letter and resume using the contact information below. Accepting applications through December 15, 2019, with resumes reviewed as they are submitted. Marsha Alford Manager, Human Resources and Employee Training Email: marsha.alford@kanawhalibrary.org Phone: 304-343-4646, x1252 Fax: 304-348-7146