It seems the library has a winner in Ricky Williams.
When the Pine Bluff-Jefferson County Library System board came to grips with the fact that it was losing its library director, Williams was selected as the interim. That was back in early April. But to hear it told, he was handling matters long before that.
Asked at the time if he was interested in the top job, Williams was quick to say no, pointing out that he wasn’t qualified.
Somewhere along the way, however, he was encouraged to drop his name in the hat. He said he didn’t think much about it and didn’t at all think he would get the job. But at the September board meeting, the search committee removed Williams’ “interim” label and put him in charge.
About him not being qualified, meaning he doesn’t have a master’s degree in library science, he’s working on that. The degree is important because the state library system bestows grants on local libraries but only to those that have directors with the advanced degree. Fortunately, the state allows a library director without a degree the time to get one.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Williams has seen much in his five years of working for the library, where, before being promoted, he was the head of technology. Some interim bosses would sit back and just lightly manage as they wait for a new director to be named. Not Williams. He jumped into the middle of several projects.
When the new downtown library was finished, some were disappointed that certain offerings never materialized. He immediately started working to make those happen.
The design also created some problems. Upstairs, it’s very noisy in the children’s area when it’s raining. Williams is already talking with the architects to better insulate the area.
High utility bills? Williams has already taken steps to reduce it.
And at the October meeting, he announced that the library had been successful in getting grant funding for hot spots and laptops — for patrons to check out. How cool is that?
And in between everything else, Williams is all about outreach and promotions, figuring out ways to get people back into the habit of coming to the library — or maybe just getting them to discover it for the first time.
Mayor Shirley Washington was at the October meeting and after it ended she complimented Williams and said he was demonstrating that not everyone needs a master’s degree to be a library director and that there was benefit to “growing our own” director.
Certainly, when Williams earns his master’s degree, it will be a benefit to him and the library. But as the mayor said, Williams indicates by his everyday words and deeds that he cares deeply about the library and wants it to be a force in the community. Congratulations to him in his new position and to the library’s board of trustees for selecting him. We think they made a good pick.