St. Mary’s County library board announces new CEO hire, approves routine business and COVID-era operations changes

The St. Mary’s County Library Board on an otherwise routine virtual meeting said it has extended an offer that was accepted for a new chief executive and discussed several COVID‑era operational changes, ballot box locations and a planned partnership with county agencies to serve people in a new community corrections program.

Board President Jim Hanley said the library system has “found someone” and that the person has accepted an offer; the board did not release the hire's name at the meeting and the start date was announced as Oct. 26. “We have found someone,” Hanley said. He asked for patience while the new hire notifies her current employer and completes transition plans.

The board also voted on routine business: members approved the August meeting minutes, accepted expense/approval lists (EALs) and accepted the treasurer’s report as presented. The board approved two holiday closings for 2020 — Saturday, Dec. 26, and Saturday, Jan. 2 — and reviewed the 2021 holiday schedule.

Why it matters: the CEO hire sets leadership for the county library system as it adapts operations during the COVID‑19 pandemic; operational decisions discussed at the meeting — from material quarantine policies to extended parking‑lot Wi‑Fi — affect how residents access library resources while buildings remain partially restricted.

Most important items

• CEO hire: Hanley said an offer has been accepted and the new chief will begin Oct. 26; the board did not disclose the individual’s name because the hire had not yet notified her current employer. Hanley described the selection process as having produced three finalists, all female, and asked trustees to wait for a formal announcement.

• Ballot boxes: Michael Matthews (staff member) said the St. Mary’s County Board of Elections will place ballot drop boxes outside the Lexington Park and Charlotte Hall libraries to allow 24/7 access. “They’re going to be putting ballot boxes at the Lexington Park and Charlotte Hall libraries,” Matthews said, adding that boxes will be placed in locations served by video surveillance and that Leonardtown will not host a box because the Board of Elections office is located in town.

• Community corrections partnership: The board reviewed a joint press release from the St. Mary’s County Equity Task Force and county agencies announcing plans for a new community corrections center. Matthews read from the announcement and said the library will provide free library cards to participants and explore ways to provide materials to the center; the site location had not been publicly announced at the time of the meeting.

• COVID‑era operations: Matthews reported expanded parking‑lot Wi‑Fi at Charlotte Hall, Lexington Park and Leonardtown to support remote schooling and curbside pickup; he said curbside service continues to outpace in‑building use. He also announced an extended quarantine for returned materials: “We’ve extended our quarantine of all library materials returned to us to 7 days,” Matthews said, citing recent findings referenced in a national Battelle/OCLC study discussed at the meeting. The board plans to continue curbside service and to move some staff back to on‑site phone coverage; the library will sunset Zoom phone use on Oct. 19 and extend length of in‑building visits from one hour to two hours starting Oct. 19.

• Staffing/remote work: Hanley described a separate remote hiring arrangement in which an IT staff member accepted a remote position while living in Florida; the system determined much of the IT work (an estimated 80–85%) can be performed remotely and documented an agreement for that arrangement as a possible model for future hires.

• Friends/Foundation updates: The Friends of the Library have an MOU to remain at their current armory site and are planning a spring book sale; the library foundation approved a fundraising letter and will begin outreach to donors.

Financial and audit notes

Sandy Hellenstein, board treasurer, presented the monthly treasurer’s report with account values for the system’s Vanguard investment accounts and a memorial (Rudolph) account used for summer intern expenses. Hellenstein said dividends paid year to date totaled $1,076.89 for the primary Vanguard account (opening value reported as $78,623 on Aug. 13; value reported at $78,429.56 on Sept. 16) and $245.44 for the Rudolph account (opening value $18,819.63 on Aug. 13; $18,771.74 on Sept. 16). Hellenstein described how dividends and some principal are used for board training, children’s programming and the intern fund. “What we use that for, we use the dividend interest and a little bit of the principal to handle any Board member training,” Hellenstein said.

Matthews said the independent audit is expected in October and the draft will be provided to trustees in advance of the Nov. 1 deadline for state filing.

Operational details and safety measures

• Parking‑lot Wi‑Fi: IT staff extended wireless access to parking areas so patrons can use library internet from cars or outdoor tables; Matthews said the county assisted to ensure coverage at Leonardtown.

• Curbside and building access: The library continues curbside pickup and limited in‑building service; the board plans to allow two‑hour in‑building visits starting Oct. 19 and to consider opening small meeting rooms for individual study with restrictions. Large meeting rooms remain in use as quarantine space for returned materials.

• Material quarantine and decontamination: The board referenced a Battelle/OCLC finding about virus persistence in stacked materials and set quarantine at seven days for returned items. Matthews said the board is monitoring private vendors and technologies for scalable decontamination but that proven, small‑scale solutions for libraries are not yet available.

• Mask accommodations: The library is working with the health department to handle requests for mask‑wearing exemptions; staff told trustees the system will continue to require masks for most patrons but will offer alternatives such as curbside service or parking‑lot Wi‑Fi access for patrons who cannot wear masks and who need accommodations.

Votes at a glance

• Approval of August meeting minutes — motion made by Jim Hanley; voice vote; outcome: approved. • Acceptance of EALs (expense/approval lists) — motion made by Jim Hanley; voice vote; outcome: approved. • Acceptance of treasurer’s report — motion made by Jim Hanley; seconded; voice vote; outcome: approved. • 2020 holiday closings (Dec. 26 and Jan. 2) — motion made and seconded; voice vote; outcome: approved. • 2021 holiday schedule — motion made and seconded; voice vote; outcome: approved.

Other items

• Staff recognition: The board celebrated employee anniversaries (Karen Ogletree, Kimberly Fields — 15 years each; Karen Alvey — 30 years) and presented a lifetime‑achievement commendation to Marilee (Mary Lee) Russell upon her announced retirement; Russell spoke briefly to thank trustees.

• Programming and outreach: The board discussed virtual programming (an October book discussion tied to local African American history), a pending e‑book grant (amount not specified at the meeting) and continued work with schools and community partners.

What the board did not decide

• The meeting did not disclose the exact location for the planned community corrections center; Matthews said the location had not been announced and that he would follow up after speaking with Dr. Brewster of the health department.

Next meeting: The board set Oct. 19 for its next meeting (virtual/telephone with limited in‑person seating available at the Chesapeake Building).