The Jefferson County Library Board of Trustees recently named Deputy County Librarian Marcellus Turner as acting county librarian. Marcellus has been in the job for several weeks, taking over operations on May 1, 2008, one day after longtime County Librarian Bill Knott retired.
Bill Knott, who led Jefferson County Public Library since 1971, retired on April 30, 2008.
Marcellus will lead the Library during the next several months while the Library Board of Trustees conducts a national search for a new permanent county librarian. Although, this is a very busy time for JCPL, with a decision about the formation of a library district expected early this summer, according to Library Board Chair Keith Grebe, the Library is in good hands. As deputy county librarian, Marcellus has been in charge of the 10 libraries, the Bookmobile, and the cataloging, acquisitions and collection development departments since joining the organization in 2002.
Before joining JCPL, Marcellus served as assistant executive director of the Rockford Public Library in Rockford, Ill. He also worked as a departmental supervisor at both Tacoma Public Library in Tacoma, Wash., and Atlantic City Free Public Library in Atlantic City, N.J., and has held several positions with academic libraries in Tennessee and Louisiana. Turner has been active in the American Library Association, the Library Administration and Management Association, and the Public Library Association. He holds a Master of Library Science from the University of Tennessee.
