Things are changing in the Sycamore Public Library management.
The Sycamore Library Board named Jesse Butz as interim executive director and granted him a retroactive 15 percent increase, effective Aug. 2. That follows the dismissal of former executive director Sarah Tobias, who held her post for 15 years before she was no longer employed after Aug. 1.
Tobias said in a statement that she did not choose to leave and she was sad about the situation.
Sycamore Library Board chair Melissa Kendzora-Smith says there is no set timeline on the hiring process yet, but the next step will be to set up a meeting soon for their personnel committee.
“The primary focus of the personnel committee is to start the process of reviewing the director and doing a performance review every year," she said, referring to a procedure they did last April. “That’s what it’s historically always been for, so now it’s going to have a new purpose because we’re going to be hiring a director, so now they’re going to have something different to do.”
An executive search firm approached the library and proposed a plan to help round up applicants. Their asking price was almost $15,000; but Kendzora-Smith says the board most likely will go through the hiring process themselves to save money.
“I don’t believe at this time we’re going to pursue that option, but we do want to reserve it as an option in the future if for some reason we feel like we need to go that route,” Kendzora-Smith said.
Board officials agreed at their Tuesday meeting and said that managing the hiring process themselves would make them “accountable” and “may be therapeutic” for them.
Library board trustees called a special meeting two months ago to discuss personnel matters. Tobias said in her statement she did not attend that April meeting.