St. Charles Library welcomes new director

The St. Charles Public Library welcomed its new director, Pam Leffler, on Jan. 2. She succeeds longtime director Diana Brown, who retired on Dec. 31.

"I'm excited to be here," said Leffler. "St. Charles has an outstanding reputation, not only locally, but within the Northern Illinois library community and on a national level. I look forward to building on that commitment to excellence."

Leffler, who resides in West Chicago, brings more than 20 years experience to the library. Most recently, she served as director for the Morton Grove Public Library. Prior to that, she held positions at Carol Stream Public Library, and has been an instructor in the Library and Information Technology Program at the College of DuPage. Leffler began her library career at the Geneva Public Library.

In announcing the appointment of Leffler to the position, Victoria Haines, president of the library's board of directors, said Leffler will be a wonderful addition to both the library and the community. "She's a perfect fit for the goals and policies of our library," said Haines.

Leffler, whose family owns business and property in St. Charles and throughout the western suburbs, said she brings an understanding of and appreciation for the value and impact of community involvement. "I am constantly working to find ways that the library can better serve the public and add value to the community and to the lives of our users," she said. "I am committed to the continued viability and vitality of libraries. I believe it is important to balance new technologies with respect for our traditional strengths."

Leffler received her B.A. in Russian Language and Area Studies from the University of Illinois, where she continued to pursue a Master's Degree in Library Science. She received a Certified Public Library Administrator certification through the American Library Association.

A member of the American Library Association, Public Library Association, and Illinois Library Association, Leffler has also been elected to the Reaching Across Illinois Library System (RAILS) Member Advisory Group; served as chairwoman of the Multitype Automation Group in Cooperation (MAGIC) Online Public Access Work Group; and has been a member of the DuPage Library System Delivery Task Force; Illinois Virtual Reference Statewide Committee; MyWebLibrarian Governing Board; and was a speaker at the 2006 Illinois Library Association Conference on the topic of "Management Issues for Reference Librarians."

The St. Charles Library has been ranked as one of the Top Ten American Libraries by the Hennen's American Public Library Ratings, and received a four-star rating from Library Journal magazine as one of their "America's Star Libraries."

The library is located at One South Sixth Avenue in St. Charles. For more information, visit www.stcharleslibrary.org, or call (630) 584-0076.