GLOBE EDITORIAL
August 10, 2008
The search for a new president for the Boston Public Library is nearly complete. On Thursday,the library trustees will meet the finalists.
It's exciting to be close to getting the dynamic new leadership that the library and its 27 neighborhood branches need. But the selection process has been too secretive, and it may end more quickly than is prudent.
The library's former president, Bernard Margolis, left the job in June after trustees decided not to renew his contract - and after years of disputes with Mayor Menino. Praised for nurturing the central library in Copley Square, Margolis was also criticized for neglecting the branches.
Now the library needs a president who can protect the progress made at the central library, revitalize the branches, and stride confidently into the next era of information technology. The new president will also have to boost staff morale and reassure donors who were sorry to see Margolis leave.
A search committee led by cochairmen James Cash, an emeritus professor at Harvard Business School, and John McArthur, a former dean of the business school, has been vetting candidates.
In the name of transparency, the trustees' meeting - where the finalists will be interviewed - will be open to the public. But this transparency comes late. The list of finalists has largely been a secret, with media reports naming only former Massachusetts Senate president Thomas Birmingham and Amy Ryan, chief librarian for Hennepin County, Minn., as candidates. But the finalists' names won't be officially announced until Thursday.
McArthur has told the Globe that the process is meant to protect candidates' privacy. But a true public process would have given Bostonians a chance to assess the finalists.
As it is, the trustees are expected to decide on the next president the same day as the interviews, or the next day, though deliberations could be extended. It's an option they should consider, because overnight is not enough time for a thoughtful review, and could fuel suspicion that the choice for president already had been made.
Despite a flawed process, trustees should choose as wisely as they can. The new president should be enthusiastic, diplomatic, and technologically savvy - someone who can forge a good relationship with City Hall and promote both the library's modern Internet services as well as old favorites, such as story hour.
A well-made choice, even under less than optimal circumstances, should give the next president the vote of confidence he or she will need to help the library prosper.
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