Our Board of Directors has announced the three finalists for the Library Director position: Diane Adams of International Falls, Minnesota, Rachael Fox of Hood River, Oregon, and Emily Klonicki of Rockford, Illinois. They invite you to meet these individuals on Saturday, July 9, 7.00-9.00p at Riverside Community Church, 317 State Street, Hood River. The Board welcomes comments. Each candidate will give a short presentation, and ample time will be given for people to chat with the candidates one-on-one.
The Library Director position opened following current director Buzzy Nielsen’s announcement in May that he would be resigning. Buzzy’s last day will be July 31. Following a national search, the library district received and reviewed nineteen applications. After interviewing an initial five candidates, the hiring committee narrowed the field down to three finalists: Diane, Rachael, and Emily.
Diane Adams
Diane Adams currently directs the International Falls Public Library in Minnesota, a position she’s held for twelve years. Prior to moving to Minnesota, Diane served as Youth Services Librarian for seven years at the Monmouth Public Library in Oregon. She also served as children’s librarian at public libraries in Kent and Everett, Washington. Overall, Diane has over 27 years of experience working in public libraries. She received her Masters in Librarianship from the University of Washington.
Rachael Fox
Rachael Fox has been the Assistant Director of Hood River County Library District for three years. She also served as the District’s first Cataloging Specialist. Rachael completed her Master of Library Science at the Emporia State University Portland program while she worked for the Hood River County Library. Before the county-run library closed, Rachael served as a Library Assistant for seven years, doing a number of tasks ranging from children’s and adult programs to training new employees.
Emily Klonicki
Emily Klonicki serves as Executive Director of the Emma Johnson Memorial Public Library District in Hampshire, Illinois. She possesses nine years of public library experience including serving as Assistant Director/Head of Youth Services for the Ida Public Library and Program Coordinator for the Rockford Public Library, both in Illinois. Emily studied at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she finished her Master of Library and Information Science.
The Board of Directors strongly values comments from you and encourages anyone who’s interested to attend the candidate meet and greet. For more information about the event or the search process, please contact Library Director Buzzy Nielsen at buzzy@hoodriverlibrary.org or 541-387-7062.