Karen Pierce named executive director of Erie County Public Library
Karen Pierce has been named the new executive director of the Erie County Public Library.
Pierce, who's served as interim assistant director of the Erie County Public Library since April and who previously managed the library's Iroquois branch, will be the first permanent executive director of the library system since Blane Dessy stepped down in May 2021.
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Pierce said she was honored by the selection.
"I am very excited to be a part of this incredible team," she told the Erie Times-News. "We're at a perfect time, coming out of the pandemic and putting our toe back into the real world. It's a great time to join the team. There's a lot of possibilities for library services in the county."
Pierce, who officially started her new job on June 13, said she is looking forward to advancing the new Millcreek branch library project, as well as enhancing parking and access to the Blasco Memorial Library.
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A New Jersey native, Pierce has spent more than 20 years in the book industry, including as an independent consultant for Usborne Books at Home, a division of Educational Development Corporation, a publishing company that specializes in children's books.
Pierce also spent 13 years as director of operations of the Slippery Rock Community Library.
"Slippery Rock had a library that was only 283 square feet," she said. "Over the course of my tenure, we bought property and built a 2,500 square foot standalone building and we went from being open for 12 hours a week to being open close to 40 hours a week. There was also one part-time staff person and we graduated to two full-time and two part-time staff members and an army of volunteers. So, it was an incredible period of growth, both personally and for the Slippery Rock Community Library."
In a news release Wednesday, Erie County Executive Brenton Davis called Pierce a seasoned director who was "passionate about advancing the education of technology and connecting people to information."
“We are thrilled to have Karen as a member of the team," Davis said in the release. "Her vast knowledge, experience and passion for the library is above what we could have ever asked for in an executive director. I’m looking forward to working alongside her to take our library and our resources for the community to the next level."
Sheryl Thomas, who had been serving as acting director and assistant director will now serve as full-time assistant director.
A.J. Rao can be reached at arao@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNRao.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie County Public Library: Karen Pierce named new executive director
