Jul 5, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                       

Contact:  Pete Winton, County Administration, (239) 335-2777
                  Sheldon Kaye, (cell phone for media purposes only),
                  (207) 838-6532                       

LEE COUNTY HIRES NEW LIBRARY DIRECTOR
 
FORT MYERS, Fla. (July 5, 2006) – Lee County Administration announced today that Sheldon Kaye has been hired as the county's Library Director.
 
Kaye has 35 years experience in public libraries and holds a Master's Degree in Library Science from Simmons College in Boston, and a Bachelor's Degree from Goddard College, Plainfield, Vermont.  For the past 18 years he has been Executive Director of the Portland Public Library, Portland, Maine.
 
Kaye was forwarded to County Administration by a screening panel made up of Nellie Slaton, a long-time library system advocate; Lori Van Wagner, vice president of the Lee County Library System Advisory Board; Jim Butler, a local library system advocate; Jim Lavender, Public Works Director; Libby Walker, Public Resources Director; and Dinah Lewis, Human Resources Director.  He will start Aug. 3. 

Kaye also has held senior management positions with the Allen County Public Library (Fort Wayne, IN); Marshfield Free Library (Wisconsin); and Rochester Public Library (New Hampshire).  He has teaching experience at Indiana University's Graduate Library Science Program, and has written a number of articles on issues facing the library profession. 

The Lee County Library System has an annual operating budget of $26 million and 280 employees.  It operates five regional libraries, seven branches, a talking books library, a bookmobile, and a number of outreach services.

Printable Version