THUNDER BAY — The Thunder Bay Public Library has found a new head librarian from within its own ranks.
The library on Monday announced the appointment of Ruth Hamlin-Douglas to the management team.
Over 17 years, Hamlin-Douglas has served in several different capacities at the library, most recently as the programming librarian.
She started in 2006 as the children and youth services librarian.
According to a news release, the TBPL's selection committee reviewed applications from both across Canada and outside the country, and during the interview process unanimously gave her the highest score by a significant margin.
The hiring of a head librarian is part of an organizational restructuring aimed at improving efficiency and service capacity in preparation for implementing a master facilities plan.
CEO Richard Togman described Hamlin-Douglas as "passionate, dedicated and forward-thinking," and said she has a wealth of institutional knowledge that will be valuable as TBPL plans for the future.
Hamlin-Douglas said she's coming into the job with three areas of focus.
"I intend to give our staff the support they need to provide excellent patron experiences, to ensure our library delivers exceptional value to the community, and to make a meaningful contribution to the ambitious vision our CEO has for the future of our organization."
Togman’s predecessor, John Pateman, who left the library in 2022 after nine years, held the dual title of CEO and chief librarian.
In an interview, Hamlin-Douglas told TBnewswatch she believes the biggest challenge in her job comes from the very fact that it is a new position at TBPL.
"We've had a CEO/Chief Librarian for the entirety of my career here, and now we've really separated the roles, so it's figuring out how Richard and I are going to manage that separation."
She said she and Togman "are very much on the same page" but that her role will be "in many ways more inward-facing."
Hamlin-Douglas said that means ensuring that "what makes a library a library is working properly," and that staff get the training and support they need.
