Rogers library board selects three candidates to interview for director

Curbside pickup signs are displayed, Thursday, August 27, 2020 at the Rogers Public Library in Rogers. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
Curbside pickup signs are displayed, Thursday, August 27, 2020 at the Rogers Public Library in Rogers. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)

ROGERS -- Public library board members on Tuesday selected three candidates to interview for the library director's job.

The three candidates were chosen from a pool of 19 applicants.

The board is replacing Judy Casey, who announced her retirement in April. Casey has worked for the city's library for 24 years and served as director the past 21 years, she said. Her last day is July 30.

The three candidates are Melani Kimery, Amy Schild Maliska and Hannah Norris Milligan, according to Thomas Dunlap, city human resources director. The library board will interview them July 7, he said.

Kimery is a gifted and talented education facilitator at Sonora Middle School in Springdale, according to her resume. She has also served as a school librarian in Redondo Beach, Calif., as the principal librarian at Inglewood Public Library in Inglewood, Calif., and as a supervisory librarian at Army Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Va.

Kimery earned a master's degree in library and information science from the University of North Texas, a bachelor's degree in organizational leadership and supervision from Purdue University, her resume states.

Maliska is the youth services librarian and assistant director at Thomas B. Norton Public Library in Gulf Shores, Ala. She has also served as librarian's assistant and page at Shreve Memorial Library in Shreveport, La.

Maliska earned a master's degree of library and information studies from the University of Alabama and a bachelor's degree in business from Centenary College in Shreveport, her resume states.

Milligan is the assistant director of Rogers Public Library. She has also served as circulation manager and library assistant at the Rogers library, according to her resume. She previously worked as a library assistant at Garfield County Libraries in Glenwood Springs, Colo.

Milligan earned a master's degree in library information science from University of South Florida and a bachelor's degree from University of Maine at Augusta, her resume states.

The seven-member board may make an offer to one of the three pending background checks, documentation and approval by the mayor, Casey said. It's also possible the board could interview other applicants, she said.

The library board has the authority to hire candidates and the decision will not have to go before the City Council, she said.

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Director’s duties

The director of the Rogers Public Library is responsible for developing, administering, supervising and coordinating the work of the library and staff. The director also performs administrative duties related to personnel, budget, collection development, building maintenance and library operations and services.

Source: Rogers

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