Joliet Public Library hires new director

JOLIET – The Joliet Public Library has hired a new executive director.

Megan Millen will come to Joliet from the Flossmoor Public Library, where she was director for 14 years, the Joliet Public Library stated in a news release Tuesday.

Millen will start in November.

She fills a vacancy created in May when Kevin Medows resigned to take a position with the Ela Area Public Library in Lake Zurich.

"I am very honored and thrilled to be chosen to be the next executive director of Joliet Public Library," Millen stated in the news release. "This is a wonderful opportunity to build on past successes and to work with the board and staff to propel the library to the next level."

Millen will become the fourth executive director since 2009, when Jim Johnston retired after heading the library for 33 years. The library board hired a search firm that specializes in library executives as part of its recruitment of a new director.

The board approved Millen's appointment last week.

"Millen is enthusiastic about what the library has to offer the community," board President Lynn Poper Samalea stated in the news release. "She hopes to increase the library's visibility to the citizens of Joliet."

Millen has a master’s degree in library and information science from Dominican University in River Forest. She has a bachelor’s degree in English and theater from Nazareth College in Pittsford, New York.