At its February 1 meeting, the Sonoma County Library Commission voted to appoint Erika Thibault as the new director for the library, which spans 12 regional libraries, two community libraries, a mobile library and multiple special collections.
“I am delighted to continue working with Erika,” said Deborah Doyle, chair of the Library Commission. “I believe she has the exact balance of experience and skills the library needs. She was clearly the strongest candidate in our nationwide executive search.”
Thibault has served as interim director since July 2022 when the previous director retired. Thibault was hired as deputy director in 2021 and came to Sonoma County from the Los Angeles Public Library where, as western area manager, she coordinated programs and services for 12 branches.
Thibault is experienced in public library management, budgeting, strategic planning, collection development, and communications, and was a 2017 PLA Leadership Academy fellow. Since assuming the role of interim director, she has already achieved Sonoma County Library’s long-term goal of opening on Sundays, is leading discussions with the City of Santa Rosa about the new Roseland library and is working with other community partners to identify additional library funding.
Thibault has embraced the concepts of opportunity, equity, and resilience embodied in the library’s Reimagining Plan, and is a leader in the library’s ongoing work to provide equitable service to all in Sonoma County.
Doyle said. “Erika is moving the Sonoma County Library into the future. We look forward to creating a 21st century library system that will make Sonoma County residents extremely proud.”
“I am honored and delighted to lead the Sonoma County Library as Director. Sonoma County is a vibrant and diverse place, and I am looking forward to building relationships with of our county and municipal partners to provide innovative, community-responsive programs and services to help our communities thrive for generations to come,” said Thibault.
Prior to becoming a librarian, Thibault was the publications coordinator at Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the volunteer coordinator at KCRW, Santa Monica Public Radio.