Mistick to step down as Carnegie Library president
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Barbara K. Mistick answers questions in 2009 after an announcement for the closings of Carnegie Library branches. Dr. Mistick, 55, told the Carnegie Library Board that she will step down as president when her contract expires May 31.
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Barbara K. Mistick, who as the first woman president of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh navigated that institution through choppy financial waters as it faced deep cuts in state funding, told the Carnegie Library Board on Monday that she is stepping down from that post as of May 31, 2011, when her contract is set to expire.
The board, at its regular meeting Monday, also unanimously approved a resolution that rescinds plans to shut down library branches in Beechview, Hazelwood, Lawrenceville and the West End in 2011.
They had been slated for closure in a restructuring plan announced last year.
Dr. Mistick, 55, who has served as the library's president since April 2005, said she had decided that the time was right for her to move on but wanted to give the library enough time to conduct a national search. The library system draws more than 2 million visitors annually.
Besides grants from the city last year that helped postpone closings of the four branches, the library system received a 3 percent increase in funding from the Regional Asset District and it was at the top of the list for donations during the Pittsburgh Foundation's recent one-day online "Pittsburgh Gives" marathon, Dr. Mistick said.
The library system also closed its most recent capital campaign with $58 million in donations, $3 million over its goal.
Thanks to community support, the library has weathered its current financial crisis, but a long-term funding solution still must be found if it is to survive in its current form, she said.
"We were able to trim the budget around the edges, so we've cobbled together a solution for 2011. But it's not a long-term solution, and there still needs to be sustainable funding," said Dr. Mistick in an interview.
City Councilman Patrick Dowd, who is a member of the library board, said after its meeting that the board is "grateful to have the time to make a decision on Dr. Mistick's successor.
"It's important to have that time so we can make a right and proper selection and hear from the public along the way," said Mr. Dowd, who was involved in the campaign to keep library branches open when a budget-cutting proposal called for closings and mergers in 2009.
"I think Dr. Mistick has done a lot to raise private dollars for the library system, but we all need time to work through her decision."
Mark Kohut, a resident of Westwood and president of the Friends of the West End branch of the Carnegie Library, said Dr. Mistick deserved praise for getting communities to talk about the importance of neighborhood library branches.
First Published December 14, 2010 12:00 am
