Longtime library district director to retire

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Regina Greer Cooper is retiring from the Springfield-Greene County Library District.

Cooper, who has led the local library system for 15 years, is slated to retire from the district at year's end, according to a news release.

"As a board, we extend to her heartfelt blessings in her retirement and are committed to seeking a new executive director who will continue to build upon the excellence Regina helped create and our community has grown to expect," said Rachael Morrow, president of the library district board, in the release.

The board, which comprises four representatives appointed by the Greene County Commission and five individuals appointed by the city of Springfield, has started the planning process to find Cooper's successor. Vickie Hicks, community relations director for the library district, said the board decided Tuesday night to appoint the existing finance and personnel committee as the search committee. That committee would make a recommendation to the full board, with a goal of making a hire by the end of the year, Hicks said.

Cooper's tenure as executive director of the library district has been marked by the addition of two standalone branches in Willard and Republic; the purchase of a mobile library; the renovation of the Schweitzer Brentwood Branch; and the opening of Library Express West and East.

“When I arrived, this library was in a good place. I didn’t have to solve any problems or get it back to a good place. It was already there, and all I had to do was work with a great staff to continue the high standards and great reputation that the library district already had," Cooper said in the release. "I hope that the new director will feel the same.”