THUNDER BAY — The Thunder Bay Public Library is hiring a head librarian as it reorganizes the ranks of its senior management team.
The position will oversee the TBPL’s librarian staff and collections management, and bear responsibility for the visitor experience at the library’s four branches.
The library will seek a candidate with a masters of library sciences or information studies, significant experience working in library management, and “who can bring new ideas and different perspectives,” said library CEO Richard Togman.
The newly created position will pay $107,000 to $120,429, according to a library job posting.
Togman’s predecessor, John Pateman, who left the library in 2022 after nine years, had held the dual title of CEO and chief librarian. Togman himself is not a librarian.
Overall, however, the library has saved money through a restructuring that eliminated two positions in senior management. Having a separate head librarian would bring that count to three, Togman said.
“From a library systems perspective, we’re less top-heavy — fewer senior managers, so we can put more resources into delivering programs and services for the community. So it should really be a win for the public when they see more of their tax dollars going toward funding services.”
It’s part of a larger ongoing restructuring at the library that will impact rank and file staff, Togman said, though he stated that won’t involve any further staffing reductions.
“There are no plans or discussions about reducing any positions at the unionized levels,” he said. “This was a very specific need at the senior management level, and we’ve been very clear to the unions and all staff at the library that we’re not looking to cut staff.”
