Durango Public Library has been searching for a new director, and soon it will need a new interim director.
Randy Robertson, who has been serving as interim director since October, has taken a job as manager of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, which pays $181,500 annually, according to the Times Leader.
Robertson was hired by the city of Durango, in part, for his knowledge and experience in creating special districts. The city and La Plata County are studying the feasibility of creating a library district that would have taxing powers. As it is now, the library is funded through a joint sales tax between the city and La Plata County.
Robertson said he will remain on the job for another month or month and a half – long enough to present some of the findings about creating a library district. After that, it will be up to government officials with input from residents about whether to ask voters to create a special taxing district for the library.
Robertson said he hopes voters will have a chance to weigh in on the special district, but it is possible the financial numbers won’t support such a move.
Robertson said he is moving east to be closer to his family, including his 89-year-old mother who suffered an accident on the stairs.
He offered praise for the Durango Public Library and its staff members.
“This is a phenomenal library, and the team is top-notch,” he said. “They’ve survived COVID, they’ve survived a pandemic, they continue to push and be innovative.”
Library visits are increasing, especially as the pandemic recedes, he said.
“Those who use the library certainly derive a lot of benefit from it, and those who may not be familiar with it ought to take a look ... because there seems to be something for everyone,” Robertson said.
Donna Arment, assistant interim library director, said she is interested in helping find a permanent library director.
Arment, who has been with the Durango Public Library since 2006, said she is a couple of years away from retiring, so she is not interested in the position.
“I just want to find someone who will get us through the next five to 10 years, help get a good director in here and assistant director, and someone who can get us moving forward and get us into some new technologies, just kind of get us on a good road,” she said.
The library provides a variety of services, does community engagement efforts, and is a patent and trademark resource center, so the new director must be familiar with those efforts, she said. Adding another layer, it is unknown if the library will continue to be funded through city and county sales tax or if it will be a special taxing district, she said.
The library is open from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
“Those have been kind of really good hours for us. They seem to fit our community really well,” Arment said.
shane@durangoherald.com
