Braswell Memorial Library continues to operate with interim director at the helm

Patrons of Braswell Memorial Library and Rocky Mount area residents have yet to meet the future director of the 100-year-old institution and staple of the community.

Nearly a month has passed since the library’s Board of Trustees Chairwoman Terry Anderson, after an extensive closed session, announced in open session that the board would be making an offer to a candidate for the director of library services position. Anderson also said at the time that the board would issue a statement to the news media once the candidate accepts the position.

In a recent phone interview, Anderson said that the board has had a couple of meetings since that July 29 decision, but that the board lacked a quorum to be able to vote on any items brought before it. According to Anderson, Melissa Corso, who has been the interim director for more than three months, will continue temporarily serving as the library’s top day-to-day official.

Anderson said that a special called meeting, held Aug. 6, lacked a quorum. Also, Anderson said that a regular meeting, held Aug. 14, began with a quorum but ended without a quorum because a board member had to leave the meeting.

Anderson said she cannot discuss whether the candidate has accepted the library director position, but she added that she hopes the board will “go ahead and get this settled very soon.”

The board meets once every two months and the board’s next regular meeting is not until early October.

The board’s Human Resources Committee interviewed a total of three candidates for the director position. In closed session during its July 29 meeting, the board watched videos of the interviews of the candidates that the committee had conducted.

The board has been looking for a new director since Tikela Alston, who was hired in June 2023, left near the end of April after tendering her resignation. Alston’s prior experience had included having served as director of the Harold D. Cooley Library in Nashville from late 2019 to early 2022.

The Braswell Memorial Library trustees voted unanimously in May to offer the interim director of library services position to Corso, who had been serving as the school services and youth services librarian at Braswell Memorial. Corso has been working for the library for two decades.