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Youngstown-Mahoning library board extends director’s employment
YOUNGSTOWN
The board of trustees of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County has extended the full-time employment of library director Carlton A. Sears until a new director takes over.
Sears, who had previously resigned effective March 30, will continue at his $109,430 annual salary.
He has been director of the 16-branch system here since February 1997.
Also in Wednesday’s special meeting at the main library, the board re-stated the annual starting salary for the new director as “$110,000, negotiable depending upon experience.”
Sears said the board changed the advertised annual salary from the previous range of $95,000 to $110,000 to be more competitive in attracting new leadership at a time when many library systems are seeking new directors.
After two finalists from a previous director search appeared at a January community forum at Poland library, and a third finalist withdrew because she took another job, the library board decided to start the search anew, said Janet S. Loew, communications and public relations director.
The library is conducting a national search, and the new application deadline is April 15.
In other business, the library board accepted from the Jackson-Milton School Board the donation of a 1.9-acre parcel at the east end of the high school and middle school grounds, for construction of the new $1.4 million Jackson-Milton public library branch.
The new site replaces an earlier location in the center of the school grounds.
Sears said he hopes the library board will advertise for construction bids in late May, open them about three weeks later and break ground this summer.
The new 5,228-square-foot branch, which will take about 32 weeks to build, will replace separate North Jackson and Lake Milton branches, which the library occupies rent free, but does not own.