Unexpected: Oregon's State Librarian Nominee Resigns

From The Statesman Journal (Salem, OR):

The hiring of Oregon’s new state librarian has unraveled with the resignation of a library official selected to move into the leadership post Jan. 1.
Robert Hulshof-Schmidt, manager of the library’s Government Research Services division, was selected in October to succeed Jim Scheppke, who has said he plans to retire at the end of the year after 20 years as state librarian.
But Hulshof-Schmidt reportedly has not been seen at work in recent weeks by library staffers, and he resigned from his job, effective Tuesday. He also stated that he won’t become state librarian, as previously planned.
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Hulshof-Schmidt worked at the state library for seven years. His resume says that as program manager of the Government Research Services Division he supervised the work of 21 full-time staffers and student workers. The division has a two-year budget of about $7 million. As program manager, his responsibilities included supervising daily information services provided to state employees, including operation of the reference room and research services.
Separate from his former state library job, Hulshof-Schmidt serves as elected president of the Oregon Library Association.

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Also from The Statesman Journal: Search for new state librarian begins in wake of puzzling resignation

Faced with the abrupt resignation of the incoming state librarian, the Oregon State Library Board of Trustees today appointed an interim library chief and launched a national search for a permanent leader.
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The state library’s human resources manager has not disclosed to the Statesman Journal documents requested through Oregon’s public records law, including a settlement-and-release agreement between the state and Hulshof-Schmidt, spelling out terms of his departure.
Amid the official silence, Hulshof-Schmidt’s exit remains a puzzling development for rank-and-file library employees who haven’t been told why he left. His resignation came after staffers had not seen him at work for several weeks.
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MaryKay Dahlgreen, currently program manager for Library Development Services, will become acting state librarian on Jan. 1. The board also agreed to initiate a national search for a permanent state librarian.

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See Also: Oregon’s Next State Librarian (via Oregon.gov; October 2011)

Filed under: Jobs, Libraries, Management and Leadership