The East Baton Rouge Parish Library Board of Control has tapped the next leader of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library System, filling the vacancy of longtime director Spencer Watts who retired at the beginning of the year.
The board extended an offer last month to Katrina Stokes, who leads the Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library in Vicksburg, Mississippi, says Assistant Director Mary Stein. Stein says she accepted the position and will start in Baton Rouge in February.
Stein says the board interviewed four applicants in October.
The library system engaged in an initial search for a new leader last year, but was unable to find an applicant to accept the position, with candidates citing an uncompetitive salary and Louisiana’s political controversies as deterrents. The search was temporarily paused as the system completed a pay study, which indicated the system was offering 32% less in pay than peer systems.
