Mahoning library system's executive director making move to Baltimore

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Heidi M. Daniel, executive director of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County since July 18, 2012, will be leaving in mid-July to take the helm at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore.

“This is a bittersweet moment for the library’s board. Five years ago, during the search for a new library director, we recognized the tremendous potential in Heidi Daniel. The past five years have shown us that we made the right decision,” said Dr. David Ritchie, board president.

“We have seen Heidi Daniel in action as a dynamic, professional, trend-setting library director, who enriched our community and created momentum that will continue to move this library system forward for years to come. So having to say ‘goodbye’ is difficult,” Dr. Ritchie added.

“For the past five years, I’ve been so happy to be serving a community that continues to say, ‘I Love My Library!’ And over those years, I’ve realized that a piece of my heart has been and will always be here in the Mahoning Valley. It has been my pleasure to serve this community,” Daniel said.

“While I’m looking forward to my next position, I am also touched by our community and will miss it,” she said.

“Heidi Daniel has the perfect combination of vision and talent to lead the Pratt into the changing library world. She has a wealth of experience in meeting the challenges and opportunities of urban libraries,” Pat Lasher, chairwoman of the Baltimore library said.

Daniel, who was 2015 Ohio Librarian of the Year, currently oversees 15 libraries in the Mahoning County library system.

During her tenure, she worked on several major building projects, including construction of the Canfield, Tri-Lakes, and Michael Kusalaba branch libraries, and the renovation of Boardman Library.

The Kusalaba library is under construction on the city’s West Side.

Daniel started innovative new services, including fine-free cards tailored to use by children and teens, a mobile Pop-Up Library service in schools and at off-site locations, and the circulation of mobile Wi-Fi hotspots.

She came to Youngstown from the Houston Public Library.