Elk Grove library turns to familiar face for new director
The Elk Grove Village Library board is turning to a familiar face for its next library director, reversing the approach it took a year ago when trustees picked an outsider for the job.
Debra Nelson, a library employee since 2006, was the board's choice to succeed Patrick McDonald, who stepped down in June after less than 10 months on the job.
Nelson, who most recently served as head of the circulation department, has been in her new job for two weeks, but says her familiarity with the library has made for an easy transition.
"I know the names of everyone here and know our systems and what we do and how it's done and why we do it," Nelson said.
Nelson, 54, an Elk Grove Village resident, is meeting the public this week at a series of meet-and-greets in the lobby of the library, 1001 Wellington Ave. The first one was Monday night, to be followed by an event from 9 to 11 a.m. today and a third from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday.
Nelson was chosen from among five finalists consultant Lynn Elam brought to the board. Elam didn't charge the board anything extra to assist with the search, after she was paid $10,000 in May 2014 to help find a replacement for longtime director Lee Maternowski. Maternowski spent 17 years as director and a total of 38 years at the library.
Nelson applied for the director job at that time, but the board went with McDonald, an Arlington Heights native who was a staff member of the World Scholar's Cup, an international series of academic competitions for middle and high school students. Before that, he served as director of the Huntley Area Public Library District from 2009 to 2013.
But McDonald left the Elk Grove library in June, saying in a news release he planned to continue private nonprofit work and pursue library consulting.
The board also agreed to pay him $16,000, equating to eight weeks of additional pay, and extend his health and dental coverage through Aug. 31, according to terms of a separation agreement obtained by the Daily Herald through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Library Board President Gil Schumm said what separated Nelson from the field of other candidates this time around were her credentials.
"She has a business degree and a (master of library and information science degree). We thought that was a good combination," Schumm said. "She also interviewed better than anyone else."
Nelson came to the Elk Grove library in 2006 and got her first job in library work as a circulation clerk, after a dozen years at Alltel Wireless, a telecommunications firm. There she was a senior business analyst in the information technology department, where she regularly communicated with managers who wanted information on customer demographics and how to use company software.
"It's not that far off from helping someone at a reference desk," Nelson said.
It was only after moving to Elk Grove with her husband and two children from Chicago that she considered taking a different career path, though she always had aspirations to work at a library.
She recently came across one of her high school yearbooks where she was listed as a member of the library club.
Nelson said one of her first initiatives will be developing a monthly payment plan for nonresidents who want to purchase a library card. Right now, it costs $200 upfront for a card. That can be a lot of money for those who use the library and live in unincorporated Elk Grove Township, she said.
Nelson is being paid an annual base salary of $105,000 with the library's standard benefit package - the same that was awarded to McDonald.