Great Neck Library seeks residents to aid in director search

Janelle Clausen
The Great Neck Library Board of Trustees has adopted a $9.76 million budget. (Photo by Janelle Clausen)
The Great Neck Library Board of Trustees has adopted a $9.76 million budget. (Photo by Janelle Clausen)

The Great Neck Library Director Search Committee is searching for three community members to join the panel in hope of providing residents’ perspective in finding a new library director.

Tracy Geiser, assistant director of the library, has been serving as interim director since the board fired Kathy Giotsas on April 28. Previous directors in the last five years include Jane Marino, Laura Weir and Chris Johnson.

No reason was stated for Giotsas’ termination.

The search committee, headed by fundraising chair Francine Krupski, will have board members, two staff members, the youth services coordinator, administration coordinator, business manager and three nonvoting members of the public.

The search has no time limit.

“It’s a very important task and we all take it very seriously,” said Robert Schaufeld, president of the library’s Board of Trustees. “We have been through this not too long ago and we’re hopeful that we have lots of qualified candidates to choose from.”

Schaufeld also said having members of the public involved is very important.

“It is good to have the public input because they have different concerns than the staff and the board and we’d like to know how the director would respond to their issues,” Schaufeld said.

As of May 23, the library has received two inquiries from individuals about joining the committee.

As the interim director, Geiser’s immediate responsibility is “to resolve open items surrounding the renovation of the Main Building” since it reopened on Oct. 30, according to a library news release.

So far, there have been no search committee meetings.

Anyone interested can send a résumé and cover letter by May 26, 2017 to The Chair of the Director Search Committee, c/o The Director’s Office, Great Neck Library, 159 Bayview Avenue, Great Neck NY 11023.

Share this Article