Library board names director

      The search for a new Las Vegas-Clark County Library District director could soon be over.
      In a special meeting at the West Charleston Library on Aug. 29, the Las Vegas-Clark County Library Board of Trustees nominated Daniel Walters, who is currently the director of the Buffalo & Erie County Library district in New York.
      "I think we have a top-notch person for the job," said Carol Rowe, interim director of the library system for past six months. "I think it's a real good match."
      Rowe represents Anderson & Langerman, a local consulting firm, which spearheaded the national search for a new director. The company's usual customers are construction firms.
      If approved by the library board of trustees this month, Walters will take over the job in October.
      From his New York office Walters said he was "excited" about relocating to Las Vegas.
      "I'm looking forward to getting through the transition and getting out there and going to work," he said.
      His library district is of comparable size to Clark County's library district. It has a $28 million annual budget. Its 700 employees work at 52 library branches. Clark County's library district has an operating budget of $29.5 million. It has 22 branches and 500 employees.
      Walters said he's worked in other library districts, such as suburban Seattle, that have experienced rapid growth patterns similar to Las Vegas.
      Most libraries aren't building at the rate that Clark County's library district has in the past decade. In that time the library district has added 10 new libraries to the system.
      "It's true that not all counties have the robust economic climate that Clark County has," he said.
      Still, Walters said there is "a renaissance of building libraries" throughout the country.
      Walters has headed up the Buffalo & Erie County library system for three years. Before that he spent 10 years in Spokane, Washington's library district.
      While he did not comment specifically about the recent strife among library employees, management and the board of trustees, he did say a library district growing so quickly would be "bound to have some stress."
      But he said most issues can be solved with communication and urged residents to look at the positive things that the library board has accomplished in the past years.
      "It's easy to be sidetracked by a bump in the road," he said. "But look at all the positive things that have taken place. The diversity of buildings, services, meeting rooms and auditoriums are unparalleled in other areas. There is a lot to be proud of there."
      The library director's job pays from $95,000 to $129,000. Walter's salary had not been announced as of press time.