MyNorth News Service

(Press Release provided by TADL)

TRAVERSE CITY: The Traverse Area District Library (TADL) Board of Trustees has announced the appointment of Gail Parsons to serve as Director of the district library system effective immediately.

Parsons had served as the district library’s interim director since May 2014, during the former, now retired, library Director Metta Lansdale’s medical leave. Lansdale retired in January after five years as director.

“My fellow board members and I have been more than pleased with the performance of the administrative and library staff under the interim directorship of Gail Parsons,” said TADL Board President, Jason Gillman. “We’re very happy for Gail and looking forward to the continuation of quality library services under her leadership.”

First joining TADL in 2008 as the Business Manager, Parsons was then promoted to Assistant Director for Human Resources and Finance.

During her tenure as Assistant Director for Human Resources and Finance, Parsons was responsible for the revamping of the financial reporting system. She successfully developed and oversaw the districtwide budget, capturing efficiencies while reducing supply costs in order to withstand the economic downturn without dipping into a long term fund balance for routine operational expenses.

As Director, Parsons will oversee district library operations while working with library trustees to manage the budget and identifying areas for improvement while guiding the direction of the library. TADL provides public library services online and in six facilities with its main library located at 610 Woodmere Avenue in Traverse City.

Parsons said she is honored to be serving the community in her new role as Director and leading the district library that she has called home for the last six and a half years.

“We are fortunate to serve an incredibly supportive and engaged community,” said Parsons. “We constantly receive compliments from library patrons and visitors listing the library as their ‘go to’ place. It’s really become a destination in our area joining the ranks with neighboring arts and culture venues, the local food and beverage scene, and the agritourism industry,” she added.

Steady visitor and circulation numbers throughout the district offer further testament to the public support and use of valuable library resources and services, much of this data can be viewed online at www.tadl.org/stats.
Parsons also noted she is eager to continue to build sustainable collaborative relationships with local non-profit organizations and agencies to improve resident access and value through shared resources.

“I look forward to working with staff to continually seek ways to improve upon our services for our library customers and our community at large.”
Prior to moving to the Grand Traverse area, Parsons worked at the Public Libraries of Saginaw for 26 years, most recently holding the position of Head of Hoyt Main Library.

Parsons earned her undergraduate degree from Central Michigan University and her masters degree in Library and Information Science from Wayne State University. She is a graduate of the Chamber of Commerce Leadership Saginaw Class of 2006. She served on the Michigan Library Association as Treasurer for three years, as Michigan Library Association (MLA) Board Member and MLA liaison to the Board of the Library of Michigan. She has been an active member of  the Traverse City Kiwanis Club since 2009, currently serving as president-elect.

TADL, a network of community libraries, is a district library system comprised of six public library facilities funded by a dedicated countywide millage. TADL operates under a Board-approved $4.7 million budget providing support for public library services online and in six facilities in addition to operations from the TADL Talking Book Library. Learn more at www.tadl.org/about.

Photo(s) by Traverse Area District Library