Among the many topics on DK for any given day — or week — “help wanted” isn’t common.
So here’s one. Delaware City Public Library (a small nonprofit, acting as a contractor to the New Castle County public libraries) is looking for a new director. Needless to say the search has been complicated beyond belief by the pandemic.
Added to that, the pool of prospects in Delaware and nearby is relatively small so we’d be willing to go further afield to find the right person. (No, we can’t afford to pay relocation).
The library is small and the director would be involved in everything about a library — the staff is roughly four including the director, plus some subs. The town is small and pleasant, along the Delaware River. The library contains the town’s meeting and event space (some managed by the library, some managed by city hall) and runs a lot of programs for the community.
Website: delawarecity.lib.de.us
The library board (I’m on it) is willing to consider someone who has just received their MLS. Alternatively, someone with an undergraduate degree who plans to take advantage of the chance to earn their MLS while working is also welcome.
Our current director did just that, taking online courses over a period of several years. In fact, Delaware has a tuition-payment plan for those who are studying library science; of course there is a commitment to work in-state for a certain period in exchange for the educational assistance.
To maintain the board’s sanity, here’s a suggestion: submit a brief letter of interest, on paper, to
Delaware City Library Director Search
250 5th Street
Delaware City DE 19706
— we’re not really set up to handle a load of email queries. The board’s normal function is financial oversight and we are a small board at a small library meeting about 8 times a year in normal circumstances.
Include a résumé and electronic contact information (that is, email) so the board can follow up more virtually.