At the Nov. 16 meeting of the Library Board of Trustees, Pam Nissler, executive director, Jefferson County Public Library (JCPL), announced her upcoming retirement. Nissler expects to retire at the end of August 2018, to spend more time with her family and explore personal pursuits.
In addressing the Board, Nissler acknowledged, “This is the best job I’ve had and the hardest one for me to leave. That said, I believe that the time has come for me to retire and to hand the management of the Jefferson County Public Library over to new leadership.
“I will do all that I can to leave the library with a “blueprint” for the future and to make the transition as smooth as possible,” Nissler continued. “You have a wonderful Senior Management Team and dedicated library staff that will support you and the new Executive Director in that process.
“We are grateful to Pam for her service to the Library and the community,” said Julia Hill-Nichols, chair, library board of trustees. “She successfully led the Library through the dark days of the recession, helped secure the future of the Library through a successful mill levy initiative in 2015, and has put JCPL squarely on the path to excellence.”
The Library Board plans to launch a nation-wide recruitment for Nissler’s replacement, with the goal of having a new executive director on board by July.
Nissler is leaving a powerful legacy at JCPL. She joined JCPL in March 2009 and was named executive director in January 2012. Her key accomplishments at JCPL include the following:
- Leading JCPL through years of budget cuts with professionalism and grace (2011-2013)
- Introducing a new service model focused on community inputs, better access to high-demand materials, proactive customer service, increased community outreach and facility updates (2013)
- Partnering with the City of Golden to update the Golden Library to reflect the new service model (2015)
- Supporting the Board in launching a successful mill levy initiative (2015)
- Restoring and enhancing Library services (2016-2017)• Updating the Columbine Library (2017)
- Partnering with the City of Edgewater to build a new Library in Edgewater (2017)
“Under Pam’s leadership, JCPL has become a progressive, modern library, with stable funding, a terrific staff and a reputation for innovation,” Hill-Nichols added. “That should make it easy for us to attract highly qualified candidates to carry the torch forward.”
