Erving Library Search Committee Eliminates One Candidate, Schedules Final Deliberation

ERVING — May 9, 2020 — Erving's library director search committee interviewed three finalists and voted unanimously to cut one candidate from a pool of six, scheduling a follow-up session for Thursday, May 14, at 5 p.m. The Board of Library Trustees and Library Director Search Committee, chaired for the day by trustee Rupert Clark in place of regular chair Mackenzie Bailey, used an individual scoring system to rank all six candidates interviewed across multiple sessions, with members acknowledging the rubric captured interview performance more cleanly than overall fit or experience. The three Saturday candidates — Andrea Barnard, currently director of Tyler Memorial Library in Charlemont; a candidate from the Boylston Public Library identified as Erica; and a third candidate identified as Caitlin, who reported raising $45,000 in grant funds over five years — answered questions on COVID-19 services, technology, event planning, and community collaboration. The committee's stated goal is to forward three names to the full trustees, who hold final hiring authority, before current director Barbara retires at the end of June.