Three Finalists Announced for King County Library System Director

Three candidates are finalists to become the new director of the King County Library System. The position opened in January for the second time in more than 50 years when 25-year Director Bill Ptacek left to head the library in Alberta, Canada. The previous Director headed KCLS from 1962 to 1988.

KCLS began their search for a new director in February, with public meetings, focus groups, and an online survey to gather public input about the key characteristics most important for the new director of KCLS. After an intensive nationwide search by exhaustive nationwide search conducted by The Hawkins Company and June Garcia LLC, three candidates have been selected for final interviews: 

• Nicolle Davies, Executive Director, Arapahoe Library District, Englewood, Colorado. “Staff and library lovers know public libraries are essential in developing life-long learners and that our spaces are ideal for community to gather. The future for public libraries requires progressive thought regarding technology, space, collections and community partnerships.” 

• Pam Sandlian Smith, Library Director, Anythink Libraries, Rangeview Library District, Thornton, Colorado. “Learning is at the heart of our mission. Libraries have always been learning places. Now more than ever, they are becoming a place to interact with information, a place to fulfill one’s dreams and sense of curiosity.” 

• Gary Wasdin, Executive Director, Omaha Public Library, Omaha, Nebraska. “At Omaha Public Library my priorities have been focused externally, building stronger relationships with elected officials, community and business leaders, and philanthropic foundations. These relationships have enabled us to develop a vision and strategy that is intrinsically tied to our city and county.” 

The Board conducted final interviews on Friday, November 14.

Founded in 1942, the King County Library System operates 48 libraries, with an annual operating budget of $94 million and 1,300 staff. Recognized in 2011 as Library Journal’s Library of the Year, KCLS is one of the largest and busiest library systems in the country.