The city has created two assistant manager positions at Walker Memorial Library as part an organizational restructuring that started two years ago.

The library underwent a major restructuring in 2020 when the City Council unanimously voted to abolish the Board of Regents because of what was then described as a dysfunctional work environment at the library.  The new assistant manager positions are an extension of the reorganization and are intended to encourage cross-department collaboration within the library, according to Mayor Mike Foley.

Library Director Rosemary Bebris said the changes have made a big difference.

“I really want to stress all the positive now. It’s a completely different atmosphere here with the changes, and the changes are improving the library to make it patron-centered,” Bebris said.

Cross-training put in place means patrons can now get direct assistance from one library employee, where before they may have been “pinballed” around the building, she said.

“It’s just good customer service when someone comes to a desk and we have someone cross-trained so we aren’t sending them to all these different areas or departments,” Bebris said.

The staff had been “entrenched in a traditional culture” and changes needed to be made to modernize the library, she said.

Foley said the new positions, created from in-house hires, will address an ongoing “silo effect” at the library.

“These changes also enhance collaboration between staff members and improve staff flexibility to respond to changing needs and new opportunities for the library,” Foley said in a March 3 press release. “The Walker Memorial Library has faced many important changes lately, including offering services in a post-pandemic world, changes in technology, and the creation of a Library Advisory Committee.”

The new positions were budgeted for and won’t impact taxes, Foley said in the release.

“These changes had been contemplated for more than a year, but due to pandemic restraints on library operations, they are just now being implemented,” he said.