Missoula County Government: Missoula City-County Library Board To Consider Finalists For Executive Library Director

Press release from the Missoula County Government:

01/26/2022 3:33 PM

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Each of the finalists will participate in a public forum next week from 10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 2, Thursday, Feb. 3, and Friday, Feb. 4. The interviews will be conducted via Teams and will be open to the public. The board will take public comment following the final interview, and residents can also submit comment ahead of time by emailing Karen Harrison, Missoula County human resources director, at kharrison@missoulacounty.us.  

A schedule of the public meetings and information on how to join via Teams will be available online at www.missoulapubliclibrary.org/library-director-transition/.   

The three finalists are:  

Barbara Brattin, Racine, Wisconsin, has 16 years of experience as a library director working in rural and mid-size communities in Colorado and Wisconsin. She currently is the director of the of Kenosha Public Library in Wisconsin, serving 100,000 residents through four library branches. She has won Librarian of the Year awards in Colorado and Wisconsin and has a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Akron and a master’s in library science from Kent State University. 

Heidi Dolamore, San Mateo, California, began her library career as a circulation clerk and has worked in multiple libraries over the past 18 years in Oregon, British Columbia and California, most recently as director of library services for the Berkeley Public Library and as assistant director of San Jose Public Library. She is currently self-employed and works as a strategy consultant for public and state libraries, associations and individuals. She has a bachelor’s degree in history of art from Bryn Mawr College and a master’s in library and information science from the University of British Columbia.  

Slaven Lee, Austin, Texas, has more than 20 years of experience working in library systems in King County, Washington, New York City and Austin, Texas, and is currently the customer access division manager at the Austin Public Library. She has a bachelor’s degree in communication and media studies from Ohio University, a master’s in library and information science from Emporia State University, an Evans School leadership certificate from the University of Washington and is currently enrolled in the public administration program at the University of Montana.   

The new director will take the helm from Bray when she retires on March 31 after serving in that role for 16 years. Bray served as the president of the Montana Library Association in 2008 and also led the Pacific Northwest Library Association from 2014 to 2015. The state association named her Montana Librarian of the Year in 2013.   

“Honore has been a dedicated and stalwart leader and has epitomized the definition of public servant here in Missoula and farther afield,” board Chair Audra Loyal said. “Her tenure has seen many opportunities, challenges and changes, most notably overseeing the construction of the new library that opened last year despite the many obstacles the pandemic put in the way. She will be much missed by everyone whose hearts she touched at the library, and we wish her all the best in her well-deserved retirement.” 

The City-County Missoula Library Board of Trustees is the policy-making body of the library. The six-member board controls the expenditures of the public library fund, the construction or leasing of the library building, and the operations and care of the library. The board of trustees hires the library director, who serves at the pleasure of the board. The Missoula Board of County Commissioners appoints five members, and the Missoula City Council appoints one.  

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This press release was produced by the Missoula County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.