Susan Lempke says her experience juggling the many activities involved in running the youth section of the Niles Public Library District for 11 years will serve her well as she continues to bring the entire library into the twenty-first century in her new role as its director.
The library’s Board of Trustees voted in late May to make Lempke the library’s permanent director. After former library director, Linda Weiss, retired in July of last year, Lempke, who had been working as one of Weiss’ assistant directors for the prior two years, was named interim director and served in that role for the better part of a year.
As director, Lempke will receive a $122,000 annual salary and benefits in line with what other full time library employees receive, said Greg Pritz, business manager for the Niles Public Library District. Pritz said Weiss received similar benefits and a yearly salary totaling $113,000 before leaving the position.
President of the library’s Board of Trustees, Linda Ryan, said the board reviewed the qualifications of six “very high quality candidates,” including Lempke, presented to the group by search firm Coleman Lew before making their decision. Ryan said Coleman Lew was hired by the board last year at a cost of $33,000.
What set Lempke apart from the other candidates considered by the board was her familiarity with Niles and the library staff, Ryan said.
“We already knew she had excellent communication skills, was a collaborative manager and was empathetic to our staff,” she said. “She was firm, yet flexible and approachable, and we knew she had a lifelong love for libraries.”
Lempke, who began her career as a children’s librarian in the Edgebrook branch of the Chicago Public Library system, first came to work part time in the youth services section of the Niles library in 1997, she said.
Lempke said she was later promoted to head of youth services and then assistant director.
In her current role as the top staff member at the library, Lempke says she is tasked with managing a roughly $6 million annual budget and overseeing a staff of about 100 people. She said her job involves a consistent reassessment of staffing levels and whether or not necessary tasks are completed.
It’s an interesting and complicated time to be in the business of running a library, she said.
“We’re in a real transitional period right now where people are very much still reading print material,” but as a whole, library services are clearly moving in a digital direction, she said.
As part of a science, technology, engineering and math initiative, Lempke said the library plans to unveil a digital media lab and makers space replete with computers equipped with Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator software, a 3-D printer and laser cutter, a green screen and video recording equipment, among other features, in mid-September.
At the same time, Lempke said the library also plans to debut the “Wonder Ground,” a program that includes rotating science activities for children in kindergarten through fourth grade.
The entire project costs $70,000 and is funded through a state grant, she said.
Both Lempke and Ryan said library staff and elected officials will also embark on a new strategic planning process this fall. The library’s last strategic plan was approved in 2011, prior to a major renovation of the facility, Ryan said. The renovation project, which Lempke helped plan and oversee, was completed in January of last year.
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Ryan said the board plans to get feedback from residents about what they need from their library.
“[The residents] really should be our driver, because it’s their tax dollars and we want to make sure their tax dollars work for them,” she said.
The residents are also one of the primary reasons Lempke said she applied for the director position.
“I love the community of Niles,” she said. “It’s so diverse and people are down to earth, and they really appreciate their library a lot.”
Lee V. Gaines is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.