Hoag will have a new library director

File photo by Tom Rivers – The Hoag Library opened in July 2012, more than doubling the space from the previous library.

ALBION – After 15 years of leading Albion’s public library, Susan Rudnicky is no longer director of the center on Main Street.

The Swan Library Association board of trustees voted tonight to end Rudnicky’s tenure. The board named a trustee, Terry Wilbert, to serve as temporary library administrator during the search process for a new leader. Wilbert will take a leave of absence from the board.

Rudnicky led the organization during its relocation from a 6,000-square-foot converted home on North Main Street to a 14,600-square-foot new building that opened in July 2012. She is also president of the Cobblestone Society Museum’s board of directors.

Susan Rudnicky

“This transition is not about good or bad, or about the past, but clearly reflects the Trustees’ determination to match skill sets with program needs,” Board President Kevin Doherty said in an email announcing the change in leadership. “We have a breath-taking new facility, constructed with the support of an over $1 million capital campaign from this community, and as Trustees, we have a responsibility to maximize the community value of the Hoag Library.”

Wilbert, a retired guidance counselor and school administrator, worked in the Albion, Pal-Mac and Livingston Manor School Districts, and also at the Ulster County BOCES and the Rochester Urban League. He has been a soccer coach for the Oakfield-Alabama Central School and a number of community clubs. Wilbert is a candidate for the Village Board in the March 18 election.

Doherty said a search for a new director will begin immediately and will involve community members. He said he expects there will be a good pool candidates and a new director will be picked “in a reasonable time.”

“There may be additional re-alignments of duties plus improved offerings and services in the coming year,” he said.