Darcell Graham, interim president and CEO at Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, is Montgomery County’s new library director.
She starts here on Nov. 4 and will earn $230,000 a year plus benefits.
“We are excited to welcome Darcell Graham as the new director of Montgomery County Public Libraries,” said County Executive Elrich. “Darcell’s experience leading one of Maryland’s largest library systems and her dedication to advancing diversity and equity make her a perfect fit for our County.”
“I am thrilled to join Montgomery County Public Libraries and look forward to working with the talented staff to continue enhancing library services for our diverse and growing community,” Graham said in a news release. “Libraries play a critical role in shaping the future, and I am eager to build on the strong foundation Montgomery County Public Libraries has established to expand our impact and reach.”
Graham replaces Anita Vassallo, who retired in June after serving more than 50 years with the Montgomery County Library Department.
Previously, Graham directed strategic planning for the 22-branch Enoch Pratt Free Library system, overseeing budgets, capital projects and staff development.
She holds a Master degree of Library and Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Baltimore. She also has earned recognition for her contributions to the library field including the William G. Baker, Jr. Award from Enoch Pratt Free Library and the Emerging Leader Award from the American Library Association.
Kristin Mink, the lead county council member for library system, said Graham “has concrete strategies and a deep-seated determination to advance our goal of equitably serving the breadth of our diverse community. And she recognizes that central to all of this is open, substantive and ongoing dialogue with both the public and our hard-working library staff and their labor union.”
Graham will lead a system that includes 22 branches and more than two million books, e-books, audiobooks and other resources.
During the past year, the library recorded a circulation of 8,583,021 items, with adult materials accounting for 2,731,112, young adult materials totaling 325,295 and children’s materials reaching 5,450,383, according to a news release from the county.
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