Resumes are being received and interviews conducted in the search for a permanent executive director for the Waukegan Public Library.
The library’s Board of Trustees is moving into the next phase of its search process as it evaluates candidates to fill a position by the end of summer left vacant for more than two years since the contract of former Executive Director Selina Gomez-Beloz was not renewed in January of 2020.
Board President Robb Freeman told the trustees during their monthly meeting Wednesday at the library the job description went live and the search firm the board retained in February, Naperville-based HR Source Staffing, is receiving applications.
Freeman said after the meeting HR Source is initially reviewing all resumes and conducting telephone interviews on those who meet the necessary qualifications. Those who survive the initial screening and interview are sent to the board’s search committee.
As of Friday, Freeman said the committee received the names and resumes of three candidates who were recommended for further consideration. The job will pay between $100,000 and $116,000 a year along with a benefits package.
Looking for a person who has a variety of skills, Freeman said he expects the permanent executive director to be an individual who will not only oversee the library’s operations and growth, but who will become part of the community.
“We want someone who sees the growth opportunities in Waukegan,” Freeman said after the meeting. “Our hope is that the candidate has strong interpersonal skills to build relationships not just inside the library with staff and patrons, but outside in our community.”
Along with being a fit for the community, Freeman said the individual should understand what makes libraries, and specifically the Waukegan Public Library, important in the community. Project management skills are also significant.
The permanent director must have the ability to both manage the day-to-day operations of the library and develop a strategic vision for the future, according to information on the library’s website. A master’s degree in library science is also mandatory.
Since Gomez-Beloz left, current interim executive director Jon Gaskill has held the library’s top position. All board members who participated in the vote to dismiss her except Treasurer Larry McShane and Jean Smith are no longer serving.
After Gomez-Beloz left, board members at the time did nothing to replace her for months. They considered hiring search firms, but did not find one both to their liking and within a price range they considered appropriate.
As the terms of the trustees began to expire, there were five positions — a majority of the nine-member board — for newly elected Mayor Ann Taylor to appoint when she took office last May. Both Taylor and board, bolstered by five new trustees, said finding a permanent executive director was their top priority.
At the first meeting of the board in its current composition in September, a search committee was formed. They began exploring the best way to fill the position. By February, HR Source was hired.
The company is being paid between $10,000 and $17,500, depending on the amount of time its personnel spend on the search and what additional services, if any, the trustees ask it to perform.
