The Chillicothe & Ross County Public Library is entering a new chapter: director James Hill retired on Oct. 30 after nearly a decade leading the library, and Chief Fiscal Officer Cassie Schaaf Stout has been named interim director, according to a community announcement reported by the Chillicothe Gazette.
Hill joined the library in February 2017 and set out to expand its reach beyond its walls, the Chillicothe Gazette reported. During his tenure the library expanded outreach services, improved facilities and developed additional community partnerships throughout Ross County, according to the announcement.
The changes residents can point to are concrete: the Bee Mobile Library, introduced in 2022; 24/7 BookHive pickup lockers placed in underserved communities; a new Kingston Library; and improvements to library facilities, the Chillicothe Gazette reported. The library also expanded what a library card can borrow beyond books, offering tools, technology, recreational equipment and other resources.
Hill led the library through the COVID-19 pandemic, when it adapted services to keep residents connected to information and resources, and Ross County voters approved a continuing operating levy with 70% support in 2020, helping secure funding for operations and expanded services, according to the announcement reported by the Chillicothe Gazette. In 2021, the Ohio Library Council named Hill Ohio’s Librarian of the Year.
“James has helped shape the library into an organization that continues to grow and respond to the changing needs of our community,” Tamra Lowe, president of the library board of trustees, said in the announcement reported by the Chillicothe Gazette. “From expanding access to library services throughout Ross County to building partnerships and investing in our facilities and staff, his leadership has made a lasting impact,” Lowe told the Chillicothe Gazette through the announcement. Hill, in his September retirement announcement, wrote that he was “extremely thankful to the staff and Board of Trustees at CRCPL for giving me the latitude to try new things,” the Chillicothe Gazette reported.
Stout will oversee library operations and work with the leadership team to maintain services during the transition, and the board will determine the next steps for selecting permanent executive leadership, according to the announcement. “We are confident in Cassie’s ability to provide steady leadership during this transition as the Board thoughtfully considers the library’s future,” Lowe said in the announcement reported by the Chillicothe Gazette. More information about the library is available at crcpl.org. What happens next is the board’s search for a permanent director — and a Ross County library system deciding what its post-Hill chapter looks like.
