Mayor Misty Buscher announced that Kathryn Harris, who retired as Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library’s Division Manager for Library Services in 2015, will become Interim Lincoln Library Director on June 1. Curtis Mann, current Lincoln Library City Historian who began working at the library in 1993, is currently acting in that role.
Harris has over 40 years of work experience in local libraries, including the City’s Lincoln Library, where she began in 1971 working in the reference department.
"It is truly an honor to have Kathryn Harris lead this library in this transition for our City’s library,” said Mayor Buscher. "Her contributions to the community go beyond and I’m very confident in her abilities to not only run the department but also to provide direction for the library’s future. "
Mayor Buscher and Harris will conduct a national search for a library director to take her place. "I’m very excited to build on the City of Springfield’s efforts to provide the best services to our citizens,” Mayor Buscher said. "Ensuring the library can get all the support it needs to grow services and raise its profile in serving the community is my priority."