FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 5, 2012
Contact: Mike Kanarick
802.735.7962
Mayor Miro Weinberger Appoints Rubi Simon as New Fletcher Free Library Director
Burlington, VT – Mayor Miro Weinberger today announced the appointment of Rubi Simon as the new director of the Fletcher Free Library (FFL) for the City of Burlington. Simon brings to Burlington more than 15 years of library experience, including nine years working in the Boston Public Library system. Simon currently works at the Burnham Memorial Library in Colchester, where she has served as the library director for nearly four years. Weinberger has asked the City Council to approve the appointment at its December 17, 2012 meeting.
“The Fletcher Free Library was founded nearly 140 years ago and has been a vital civic institution ever since,” said Weinberger at a press conference held at the library. “Today, we depend on our library more than ever and expect our library and its staff team to do more than ever before. We are thrilled that we have found Rubi Simon, who is the right person, the visionary leader, to move Burlington’s library forward at this key moment in its evolution.”
In addition to her service to the Town of Colchester, Simon worked in many roles in the Boston Public Library system, including the role of Neighborhood Services Manager, a deputy director position responsible for co-managing the operations and personnel of 27 Boston branch libraries. Simon earned an M.A. in Library and Information Science at the University of South Florida and a B.A. as a double major in Spanish and Latin American Studies at the University of Kentucky. Simon is a member of this year’s Leadership Champlain class and is bilingual, fluent in both English and Spanish.
“I look forward to building upon the successful traditions of the Fletcher Free Library and to bringing new energy to lead the library in a manner that provides something for everyone and that enhances the quality of life for the Burlington community,” said Simon. “I am grateful to the Mayor and search committee for their confidence in my abilities to lead the team at Burlington’s amazing library. I am both honored and excited to be joining Burlington’s leadership team and the dedicated staff at the Fletcher Free Library.”
Prior to the start of a thorough search process, Weinberger and the Library Board of Commissioners engaged in a collaborative process that resulted in a significant move from a co-directorship model to a single director model for the first time in more than 20 years. The position was advertised nationally, leading to the receipt of a large number of resumes. The search committee interviewed approximately a dozen candidates, and Simon emerged as the committee’s top choice. Committee members were: Eric Lindstrom and Dan Balon, library commissioners; Robert Coleburn and Christine Webb, FFL staff members; Robin Twery, Friends of the Fletcher Free Library president; Julie Hulburd, City Human Resources Department staff member, and Carina Driscoll, Assistant to the Mayor.
Please see attached documents, including:
- Memorandum from Mayor Miro Weinberger to City Council Members requesting approval of the appointment of Rubi Simon as Director of the Fletcher Free Library
- Resume of Rubi Simon
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