By Eileen Buckley
Buffalo, NY – A new director has been selected to lead the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System.
Just one day after kicking off the Library's 175th anniversary, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously approving Mary Jean Jakubowski to a three-year term as the next director.
Jakubowski currently serves as the Library's chief operating officer and has worked for the past 19-years in various capacities including as assistant deputy director of Human Resources; librarian in the Humanities and Social Sciences department; manager of Circulation, Stacks and Remote Reference; and as a part-time librarian at the Orchard Park Library.
Chair of the trustees, Sharon Thomas, says after considering several candidates in an extensive national search for a new director, the board decided they already had the "best leader in Ms. Jakubowski, a Buffalo native.
"Mary Jean Jakubowski has the commitment, knowledge, leadership skills and energy to lead the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System," said Thomas.
Jakubowski will have the charge of moving the library forward to find a new governance model and sustainable funding plan.
"She knows and loves our community, is immersed in dealing with the complexity of issues and challenges facing our libraries and has the utmost respect of our trustees, member libraries and library staff," said Thomas .
Thomas added that "the Library's trustees are confident that Ms. Jakubowski, working with Mr. Ken Stone and the dedicated staff, is the right person for our library at this time."
Jakubowksi has an MLS degree from the University of Buffalo and has served on the Library's leadership team, together with Chief Financial Officer Kenneth Stone. She resides in Lancaster with her husband, Larry and two daughters.
Jakubowski replaces Bridget Quinn-Carey who joined the Queens Library earlier this spring.