Board of Trustees Chair and Director Search Committee Member, Charlotte Welch, noted, "The Board of Trustees and Director Search Committee for Live Oak Public Libraries is excited that Tom Sloan will be our new Executive Director. Tom brings with him years of experience in leadership positions and much success in his past roles in library systems in other states. We look forward to our new Director taking the reigns of our System and guiding our libraries into the future with his dedication to serving community needs and commitment to programming and growth."
The Board of Trustees also voted to extend the stay of Interim Executive Director Stephen Whigham until August 10, 2018 to facilitate the transition. Sloan will begin his position as Director on August 1, 2018.
“It is an honor to be selected by the Board of Trustees to serve as Executive Director,” said Tom Sloan. “I look forward to working with library stakeholders and community partners to support the mission of the Live Oak Public Libraries to enrich the lives of people of all ages, support educational aspirations and lifelong learning, and build more resilient and sustainable communities,” stated Sloan.
Sloan has more than thirty years of library experience and has been a library director for systems in Florida, Illinois and most recently New York. He has served as the State Librarian of Delaware as well as a Library Speaker/Specialist for the Office of International Information Programs for the United States Department of State.
An active library advocate, he has served on numerous committees and boards for organizations such as the American Library Association, the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services, the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies as well as state library associations in Delaware, Florida, Illinois and New York. Sloan has received several awards in recognition of his service and contributions to libraries and communities.
His involvement in library systems extends to writing and speaking at national and international levels. Sloan has been published widely and given presentations on a variety of subjects related to libraries, technology, and information resources.
Sloan earned a Master of Science in Library Science from Florida State University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Delaware. He has a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Tennessee.