Rochester's longtime library director will be moving on next month

Library Director Brian Sylvester

ROCHESTER -- After eight years overseeing the Rochester Public Library, Director Brian Sylvester will be departing his role next month.
Sylvester joined the Rochester Library as its director in 2012, and will be leaving in July to become the Director of the Dover Public Library in Delaware.
"I have enjoyed the opportunity to serve the citizens of Rochester over the last eight years," Sylvester said. "The library has grown and evolved in a lot of ways, which is a credit to the staff's openness to new ideas and ways to reach all of the people in our community."
During his tenure, the Rochester Library became the first in New Hampshire to implement an RFID system that allows staff to check out a stack of books in a single transaction, while also preventing loss of items. Additionally, the library gained national attention in 2018 when a collection of authentic propaganda posters from both World Wars was discovered in storage.
The library has also embraced new technologies that have helped make children and young adults more engaged with the library, including kid-friendly computer stations, and robust digital resources, including a new website, which have helped patrons remain connected with the Library even despite closures necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We have been so pleased and gratified with the job that Brian has done," said Pam Hubbard, Chair of the Library Board of Trustees. "He has grown into the job and made it his own, bringing the library along at a tremendous pace, while involving the staff and making sure that the work he did was for the benefit of everyone, which is such a valuable thing."
Sylvester has set the bar high for his replacement, Hubbard added, and whoever fills the role will be expected to continue the pace of adapting to new technology, while remaining a haven for old-school book lovers in the way the library has over the last eight years.
Beginning July 9, Children's Librarian Marie Lejeune will become the Interim Library Director. The search for Sylvester's permanent replacement has already begun, and the Trustees welcome qualified applicants to apply for the vacant director's position online by clicking here. Applications must be submitted by June 27.

Jordan Mayblum writes stories for the City of Rochester