Grayslake Area Public Library hires new director

GRAYSLAKE – The Grayslake Area Public Library announced Timothy Longo is the library district’s new executive director.

Longo started July 6.

The library board contracted with John Keister & Associates of Vernon Hills for the nationwide executive director search. Longo was one of five candidates interviewed by the board from a field of several applicants.

“On behalf of the Grayslake Area Public Library and its board of trustees, I would like to extend a warm welcome to Tim Longo, our library district’s new executive director,” Scott Landy, president of the board of trustees, said in a news release. “We are confident Tim will be a fantastic addition to lead our amazing library team and look forward to working with him as we continue to evolve the Grayslake Library in the post-pandemic environment.”

Longo has more than 10 years of library leadership, financial management and strategic planning experience in public libraries, most recently as the head of access services for the Evanston Public Library and preceding that as assistant director of technical services at the Lisle Library District.

Notable accomplishments in his previous positions include helping open a new library branch in Evanston, implementing the second largest library Wi-Fi hotspot lending program in Illinois and updating library automation services across a multi-branch library system.

Longo has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a master’s in library and Information science from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.

“I believe that libraries are vibrant community centers that foster lifelong learning, spark curiosity and bring people together,” Longo said in the release. “I’m honored to be joining an institution that prides itself on providing the kind of welcoming space, diverse programs, excellent collections and up-to-date technology that help make the Grayslake area such a vibrant community and great place to live.”

Details on a public event welcoming Longo will be announced on www.grayslake.info, on Facebook @GrayslakeLibrary and on Instagram @grayslakelibrary