Athens-Limestone Library fills director position

Published 3:00 am Saturday, December 5, 2020

After a thorough search that lasted eight months, the Athens-Limestone County Public Library Board of Trustees have hired a library director.

The board recently hired Jennifer Baxter, who began her duties as the library’s director’s Dec. 1. Former director Paula Laurita left the position in March to join NASA’s library at Marshall Space Flight Center as documentation librarian.

Trustees said in a press release Baxter stood out because of her experience in library operations, organization management, program management, government relations, public affairs and other skills “that will lead the library into a new era of growth and service.”

The ALCPL Board of Trustees, the Foundation of Athens-Limestone Public Library, and the Friends of the Library worked together to conduct a thorough search of more than 25 candidates, both local and outside the community. Their goal was to begin the work to lead the library forward while augmenting the current staff and services, Board of Trustees Chairman Chris Anderson said.

“Athens-Limestone Public Library has built a solid foundation during the 50 years since it was founded,” he said. “Athens and Limestone County are changing, and the library should be actively involved in this growth.”

Baxter began her library career in 2010 as a library assistant and ultimately served as chief executive officer of the Hancock County Library System located in south Mississippi. Prior to joining ALCPL, she was communications director for the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission.

Baxter earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Mississippi, a Masters of Library and Information Science from the University of Southern Mississippi, and a Masters of Public Administration from Arkansas State University.

Anderson said as public libraries across the nation continue to adjust programs and services to accommodate technological and cultural change, ALCPL wants to explore innovative ways the community can make use of the library, its facilities and its services.

“It’s important to actively seek involvement and feedback from all aspects of our community,” he said. “We want to reflect our community’s interests and be its living room for information and ideas.”