Ailing Vernon Area library director to be replaced

Vernon Area Public Library Director Allen Meyer's battle with cancer has forced board members to begin searching for a replacement.

Meyer has been on medical leave from the Lincolnshire library since May 22 but started missing work because of his illness late last year, library board President Jane Berman said. He is undergoing treatment but is not expected to return to work, she said.

"Although we hope for his return to good health, we must start our search now for a new director in order to do our best for our other staff members," Berman said.

The board has hired a Northbrook firm called Miriam Pollack and Associates to lead the search for a new director. Officials hope to have a candidate by the end of September, Berman said.

Meyer, 57, of Buffalo Grove, was diagnosed with cancer in November, officials said.

Laurel Vlcek, the library's head of adult services, has served as director pro tem since then, Berman said. Other employees also have taken on new responsibilities in Meyer's absence, she said.

"Our staff has risen admirably to the challenge of operating the library during Allen's illness," Berman said.

Library patrons haven't noticed any slip in services because of Meyer's absence, Vlcek said.

"We know that's what Allen would like," she said.

Meyer joined the library as a children's librarian in 1985. He was named director in 1988.

Berman praised Meyer for overseeing the library's move into a new building in 1993, and his efforts to bring the facility into the digital age.

His efforts have been recognized recently through official village proclamations in Lincolnshire, Buffalo Grove and Vernon Hills -- the largest towns in the library district.