The two candidates vying to become the next executive director of the Central Arkansas Library System met with the public Monday night during an informal reception at the Main Library in downtown Little Rock.
After taking into consideration feedback from the public, the library board of trustees will select a new director at its Dec. 10 meeting.
Competing for the job are Nate Coulter, a Little Rock-based attorney, and Haley Lagasse, currently the head of public services and the Main Library within the library system.
Both chatted in small groups or one-on-one with city leaders and library patrons in a sometimes-crowded meeting room Monday as people walked around and talked while eating snacks and drinking wine.
Lagasse has worked in the library system since 2009, moving her way up from a branch manager to her current role. She's worked at libraries her entire professional career.
"For me, really on a personal level, this would be a dream job. It's the pinnacle of my career. For a very long time I have been passionate about the library. This has been really a goal for me. But even more, I'm interested in this position because I love the organization that I work for. It has been so fulfilling to be part of the CALS team," Lagasse said in an interview Monday.
She has a master's degree in library and information studies with a concentration in public libraries and youth services from the University of Alabama.
Coulter, on the other hand, has primarily worked in the legal field and politics. He has some experience with the library system by serving on its board from 2003 to 2008, and he is currently a member of the CALS Foundation's board.
He graduated from Harvard Law School and served as assistant legal counsel to Gov. Bill Clinton in 1988 and 1989. He ran for lieutenant governor as the Democratic nominee in 1993 but lost that race. He's worked in in the legal field since 1985.
Coulter wrote in the cover letter to his job application that he realizes his lawyer background isn't the "traditional path" for a library director, but that he would work to obtain a master's degree in library science within three years on the job, if selected. He has experience managing budgets and people, he said.
"I've been very active in this library and in this community. Essentially, I have lived and worked here for 30 years," he said Monday. "I understand the relationships that are very important to the library's success. What goes on outside the library is really critical to enabling all the great things that go on inside these libraries. In other words, the library has to be connected to the community it serves, engaged in challenges the community faces and has to maintain the relationships."
Asked what short-term goals she will pursue if chosen for the job, Lagasse said it will be important to learn more about the responsibilities of the executive director.
Bobby Roberts has been at the library's helm for almost 27 years. He makes $130,956 in that role and will take a lot of institutional knowledge with him when he retires in a few months.
"That would be an important goal for me, to take the time to really establish a sound relationship with the administration and with my co-workers to determine then, following that, the direction we should go in as an organization," Lagasse said.
Coulter said he has three areas he wants to focus on if he becomes head of the library system -- harnessing technology, building partnerships and increasing the endowment.
"There's a lot of popular media questioning whether libraries have a place in the digital age. I think they are more important than they have ever been. Harnessing and managing the transition, I think, is going to be crucial to the success of libraries," Coulter said.
He added that the public school system could benefit from a partnership with the library, similar to a pilot program in Nashville called Limitless Libraries. Increasing the endowment is needed to ensure the long-term sustainability of the library system, he said.
The Central Arkansas Library System is made up of 14 libraries. Nine of its branches are in Little Rock and the others are in Wrightsville, Jacksonville, Sherwood, Maumelle and Perryville.
In a closing statement during an interview Monday, Coulter said he's committed to the library system's success and that he will continue to look for innovative programs and evaluate current programs to see what isn't working.
"You've got to find ways to enhance the financial standing, to create opportunities and partnerships in neighbors and schools, and just strengthen the overall presence of the institution," he said.
Lagasse said that in her years with the organization she's seen its uniqueness and is committed to serving the library system.
"We are very bold in our decision-making and in the direction we take, but it's that forward-thinking environment that has made our organization so successful. Continuing that is so important to me personally because I see how important it is to the success of our library long term," she said.
Metro on 11/17/2015