New library CEO on the job
Jeff Heuchert, STAFF REPORTER So much for easing into the new job.
In just her first four days last week as CEO of St. Marys Public Library, Terri Pope was treated to a gift basket from her family, a large welcoming sign on her door from her new co-workers, a chicken barbecue with the town’s employees and a donation from Home Hardware to the local branch.
“Everyone has been so welcoming,” Pope said last week as she worked on settling in to her new office. “There’s just so much positive energy here.”
Pope comes to St. Marys from Norfolk County, where she’s spent the past five years as deputy CEO and system manager of their five-branch system. Prior to that, she spent time with public libraries in Guelph and Cambridge.
Pope takes over for Cindy Poon, who spent the past four years in St. Marys
before recently accepting a new job as CEO of the Ajax Public Library
system. Poon met with Pope briefly last week.
“Cindy said I’ll love it here,” she added enthusiastically.
Originally, the library board planned to hire an interim CEO to fill in for
a couple of months while they searched for a full-time replacement. The
board had 10 applicants for the interim position; they interviewed three.
Pope said she had planned to re-apply for the full-time position when it
became available. However, board chair Gary Austin explained that the board
was impressed with Pope’s credentials and enthusiasm, and decided to offer
her the full-time position.
“The board was impressed by the amount of time (Pope is) wanting to put into
getting to know the community, staff and library system,” noted Austin.
“The timing has been incredibly opportune...absolutely perfect,” Pope added.
“(The board and I) hit it off right away. We have a mutual feeling of
respect and trust, an immediate compatibility.”
The decision to hire a full-time CEO immediately also saved the library from
going through three CEOs in a short period of time, something Austin said
the board acknowledged would have been “difficult on staff.”
Coming to St. Marys will be a major change for Pope, who’s spent the last
number of years in a much larger system.
“(St. Marys) is a smaller system, but my position is one step up,” she
noted.
Another challenge, at least for the time being, is the daily travel. Pope
and her family still live in Norfolk County, and haven’t yet decided when or
to where exactly they’ll move, although Pope said she hopes to land near St.
Marys, if not in town. The drive from Norfolk County takes about an hour and
a half. For that reason, Pope is splitting her evenings through the week
staying at home and in London, where she grew up, with her parents.
Prior to her job interview, Pope hadn’t been in the Stonetown for quite some
time. She said she remembers visiting St. Marys with her family when she was
younger and recalls swimming in the Quarry, although she said it is not as
big as she remembers.
But her first impressions of the library system in St. Marys have been very
positive.
“The staff is so wondeful here,” she said, noting that it’s been the library
staff that have kept the branch running smoothly as she’s tried to make
herself at home. “(The staff) know what they’re doing.”
Pope said she’s also impressed with the support the library has from the
community, noting not just the work of the library board, but also the
Friends of the Library.
Pope said she looks forward to seeing through the new website and
development of the children’s area at the branch - two projects well
underway. It’s her goal, she added, to continue developing the library as a
“core community service,” that reaches people “beyond our walls.”
A plan on how to do just that, though, will take some time. She said she
wants to identify key areas for improvement and new opportunities for
partnerships within the community, noting that she’d already spoken with
some community groups about possible future endeavours.
Pope said the St. Marys’ branch faces the same challenges as many others.
While they have no problems attracting younger kids and adults, they
struggle to appeal to kids and teenagers in the six to 16 demographic, as
well as the over 50 crowd.
“We would like to work on developing programs that meet (both groups)
needs,” Pope added. “We need to talk with them to learn what it is they’re
looking for.”
A welcoming party for Pope has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 20, at Smith
& Latham from 2 to 4 p.m. The public is encouraged to come out and meet and
welcome the new CEO.