Executive Director, Lexington (KY) Public Library

Join the Winner’s Circle in the Horse Capital of the World! The Board of Trustees of the Lexington Public Library—serving a combined city-county population of more than 270,000 through a central library and five branch facilities—seeks a creative and innovative executive director, who will develop and lead a staff/stakeholder team in providing library programming and services that respond to increasingly diverse community needs. Lexington Fayette Urban County Government is the second-largest municipality in Kentucky and the 65th largest in the United States. It is home to the headquarters of Lexmark International, the Kentucky Horse Park, Keeneland Race Course, Red Mile Race Course, Transylvania University, and the University of Kentucky—and it has been selected to be the site of the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games. With a strong staff (192 FTE), a dedicated tax levy yielding a budget of $14.5 million, a committed Library Board and Advisory Committee, a highly successful Friends of the Library, and a growing Library Foundation—all of the pieces are in place for the Library to reach new levels of excellence in serving its public. Additional information on the Library, the City and position can be found at Lexington Links.

Responsibilities. The Executive Director of the Lexington Public Library reports to a seven-member Board of Trustees—appointed by the Mayor of the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government and approved by the Urban County Council—and partners with LFUCG departments, state and federal officials, and civic/professional organizations and groups to achieve the Library’s mission and goals within the context of community needs and priorities. Overall responsibilities include: fostering effective internal and external communications; providing sound fiscal management, while strengthening current funding sources and seeking additional revenue sources; developing and implementing a strategic planning process to create a shared vision for library service and programming; and exploring and developing collaborative relationships with a variety of local, regional and statewide organizations and agencies. See Lexington Executive Director for the detailed job description.

Minimum Qualifications. A master’s degree in library science (supplemented by coursework in management and administration) and a minimum of seven years of progressively responsible public library experience in a management position, including at least four years of executive level experience as director of a smaller library system, or deputy, assistant, or associate director of a comparable or larger system. Essential attributes include: personal integrity and excellent interpersonal skills; ability to address conflicting goals and build consensus; a thorough knowledge of financial management; collaboration and consensus-building skills; sensitivity, flexibility, and creativity; and a solid understanding of philosophy, trends and “best practices” in the library and information technology fields. Prior experience reporting to and working effectively with a governing board is highly desirable.

Compensation. The position offers a starting salary range of $105,000-120,000 (dependent upon experience and qualifications) with an excellent fringe benefits package.

For further information, contact Dan or Jobeth Bradbury at Gossage Sager Associates. Apply via email with a meaningful cover letter and resume as Word or pdf attachments to Dan Bradbury or Jobeth Bradbury. The position closes December 31, 2009.

The Lexington Public Library is an Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.