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LEWISTON — Marcela Peres has been named the director of the Lewiston Public Library, replacing long-time director Rick Speer, who is retiring at the end of May, City Administrator Ed Barrett announced May 15.
Peres, a Lewiston resident, is currently the city’s adult services librarian and frequently fills in for Speer. She has been an employee at the library since 2012, previously overseeing all library operations at Southwest Florida College in Tampa, Fla.
Peres was selected after a national search that attracted 25 applicants, according to the news release from the city administration. In addition to Barrett, members of the search committee included representatives of the library Board of Trustees, the Friends of the Lewiston Public Library and Betsy Pohl, director of Lithgow Public Library in Augusta.
“Marcela rose to the top of the field on the basis of her knowledge of our library and our community, her vision for the library’s future, the work she has done to prepare herself for this position and her enthusiasm,” Barrett said. “As the hiring process moved forward, the members of the search committee became more and more convinced that she was the right candidate for the job.”
Darby Ray, chairwoman of the trustees and a member of the search committee, added, “The combination of Marcela’s educational background, relevant experience, collaborative instincts, forward-looking vision for the library, and deep commitment to this community set her apart from other applicants. She is superbly qualified to lead the library into the future.”
Peres holds a master of science degree in library and information science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University. She is active in a variety of library associations, including the Maine Library Association, the New England Library Association and the American Library Association. She is a graduate of the New England Library Leadership Symposium, the Maine Library Leadership Institute and the Androscoggin Leadership Development Institute.
Peres said that she is “honored and grateful to have the support of the city administrator, Board of Trustees, library staff and the many community members who participated in this selection process. I look forward to leading the Lewiston Public Library into its next chapter and working to ensure its continued success as the heart of community learning and growth in Lewiston.”
