A Colorado library administrator has been named director of the Baltimore County Public Library system, making her the first woman to serve in that role.
Paula Miller, head of the Pikes Peak Library District in El Paso County, Colo., is set to begin the Baltimore County job this summer, the county Board of Library Trustees announced Friday.
She will take over for Jim Fish, who is retiring after nearly 18 years.
In a statement, Miller said she was looking forward to returning to Maryland, where she once studied and worked. She received a master's degree from the University of Maryland. Before taking the job in Colorado in 2006, she had served as administrator of the Eastern Shore Regional Library in Maryland, as director of the Westlake Porter Public Library in Ohio and director of the Dover Public Library in Delaware.
"Since my husband and I lived and worked in Maryland early in our careers, we feel a little bit like this brings us full circle," Miller said. "This also brings us closer to family and our roots."
Miller will be the fourth director of the Baltimore County Public Library since its founding in 1948. The library system has 19 branches and served nearly 5 million visitors last year.
In announcing her departure, Pikes Peak Library District officials said Miller's accomplishments included updating the system's technology, expanding services and completing major renovations of facilities.
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