RFP for executive search firm for Boston Public Library presidential search now available

BOSTON - Monday, September 21, 2015 - Today, Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Boston Public Library Board of Trustees announced the release of a Request for Proposal (RFP) for an executive search firm to assist with the search for the next president of the Boston Public Library. The executive search firm will advertise, locate, recruit, interview and evaluate top candidates for the position.

"The Boston Public Library is a dynamic and vital cultural institution, that touches every neighborhood and every resident of Boston," said Mayor Walsh. "The new president should be a strong leader who has deep appreciation for the library's unique collections, while advocating for technological innovation and new approaches to service delivery."

"The executive search firm will ensure that the broadest and most qualified pool of candidates is identified in the search for the next Boston Public Library president," said John T. Hailer, Interim Chair of the Boston Public Library Board of Trustees.

The next president of the BPL will be expected to shape and build upon the BPL's strategic vision, the Compass Strategic Plan, the strengths of its Collections, its technological innovations, and services across the neighborhoods of Boston; and to exert the leadership necessary to realize that vision.

The presidency of the BPL requires strong leadership, focused both internally and externally, supporting affiliates' fundraising activities, active community building, collaboration with the school system and other city organizations involved in the mission of lifelong learning, as well as management and oversight of BPL operations.

The president must have the capacity to create a cohesive community and address challenges of morale and a healthy workplace in what are times of great change and challenge for all institutions, including public libraries and the communities they serve.

The selected executive search firm will work closely throughout the presidential search process with the Mayor's Office, the BPL Board of Trustees, the BPL Presidential Search Committee, and the community, to identify and select the next president of the BPL.

The RFP is available at the Boston Public Library, Business Office, Room 332, 700 Boylston St. Interested firms should contact Carl Lehto at clehto@bpl.org for more information. Responses to the RFP are due no later than Friday October 9, 2015 at 1:00 PM.

About the Boston Public Library

Boston Public Library has a Central Library, twenty-four branches, map center, business library, and a website filled with digital content and services. Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library has pioneered public library service in America. It was the first large free municipal library in the United States, the first public library to lend books, the first to have a branch library, and the first to have a children's room. Each year, the Boston Public Library hosts thousands of programs and serves millions of people. All of its programs and exhibitions are free and open to the public. At the Boston Public Library, books are just the beginning. To learn more, the BPL website.