Community meets Library District director candidates

About thirty people attended a Spokane Valley meet and greet held for Cindy Moore and Patrick Roewe, the final candidates vying for the position of Spokane County Library District director.

In September, Nancy Ledeboer will step down from her position as director of the district’s 11 branches, including a smaller installation called The Bookend, with oversight of a budget of about $11 million.

The public reception, held at the CenterPlace event facility, allowed community members to chat with the candidates and submit comments to the library district’s board of trustees, who will ultimately pick the next director.

John Craig, chair of the board, said they will hold session on Friday, June 9, concerning the fate of the position. He said the two candidates will receive hourlong interviews and a decision may be announced Friday.

Roewe is the deputy director of the Spokane County Library District, and Moore was formerly the director of the Albany County Public Library in Wyoming.

The candidates and board chair both said the district is in very good shape, and the next director should follow the path made by Ledeboer, emphasizing community outreach.

“I think community engagement is our path forward,” said Roewe.

He “wants the library to be a gathering place” and said his “overall mission is connecting people to knowledge.”

Bill Moore, a Friends of the Library member from Deer Park and no relation to the candidate, said he has been “impressed with Patrick’s leadership” and complimented Roewe’s flexibility.

Cindy Moore said the most important job of a library director is “having the library represent and serve the readers in a community.”

She said, “I believe libraries are cornerstones of democracy.”