Nearly a year since former chief librarian Marcellus Turner announced his departure from the top job at Seattle Public Library, the SPL board has announced two finalists for the position. They are interim chief librarian Tom Fay, who has been with SPL since 2015 and was formerly the library’s director of programs and services, and Chad Helton, director of the Hennepin County Library in Minnesota.
Both candidates will have final interviews during the second week in February, speaking with the library’s board of trustees and senior management, as well as holding virtual sessions with library staff and the general public. All are welcome to the latter sessions, which will include opportunities for library patrons to ask questions of the candidates and will take place Feb. 9 (Fay) and Feb. 10 (Helton). See spl.org for more information. Links to the sessions will be posted closer to the dates.
The board expects to announce its decision in late February or early March, according to SPL spokesperson Laura Gentry.
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