BRATTLEBORO-Lindsay Bellville has been appointed interim director of Brooks Memorial Library while the search for a permanent library director continues.
Bellville started her new position June 29.
“It’s a new challenge, which I’m looking forward to,” says Bellville, who has been with the library for 22 years. “We have a lot going on with summer reading and our construction project.”
Asked if she plans to apply for the directorship, Bellville says she’s undecided.
“I’ve been in the children’s room a long time and it would be hard to give that up, but we’ll see,” she says. “We’ll see how that goes.”
The appointment comes after Julie Perrin, director for just a month, resigned May 28 saying Brooks was “not a good match for me.”
The position was then offered to the runner-up candidate found during the search when Perrin was chosen. That person did not take the job.
In her resignation, Perrin did not offer details but thanked Town Manager John Potter “for the opportunity,” going on to say, “I very much appreciate the kindness of the other town departments and hope that you will convey that to them. Best of luck.”
Perrin, the 2020 New Hampshire Library Director of the Year, came to Brooks after nine years leading the Jaffrey Public Library in New Hampshire. She was lauded here as bringing extensive experience in library program development, grant writing, and operations management.
At the time, Town Human Resources Director Sally Cruz Nix said of the 22 applicants in the competitive hiring process, all stakeholders felt Perrin was the leader who “most aligned with the values and culture of the community.”
Bellville has worked at Brooks Memorial Library for more than two decades. She joined the library in 2004 as assistant children’s librarian and earned her master’s degree in library science while working at Brooks.
In 2015, she became children’s librarian, and following the library’s 2016 renovation and expansion of teen services, her position evolved into youth services librarian, overseeing services for children and teens.
As Interim Director, Bellville will lead the library during a particularly active period that includes the annual summer reading program and renovations to the building.
“My goal is to keep services running smoothly while making these transitions as seamless as possible for our patrons,” said Bellville.
The search for a permanent director continues.
This News item by Virginia Ray was written for The Commons.