20-year veteran leader new CEO of Edmonton Public Library

The Stanley A. Milner Library in downtown Edmonton.

The Edmonton Public Library (EPL) has a new leader.

Sharon Day will start her new job as the EPL’s chief executive officer on Aug. 17, the EPL said in a media release on Tuesday. She replaces Pilar Martinez, who announced late last year she was stepping down from the position after 11 years at the helm.

“Sharon brings deep knowledge of the organization, a strong commitment to public service, and a clear vision for the future of public libraries,” Shawna Vogel, the chair of the EPL board, said in the release. “The Board is confident she is the right person to build on EPL’s strengths and lead the organization into its next chapter.”

Day is a 20-year veteran library leader, 17 of those years with the EPL, where she worked in progressively senior positions, the 21-branch library said on Tuesday. Day, who has a Master of Library and Information Studies from the University of Alberta, comes to the CEO role after four years as executive director of customer experience.

Prior to joining the EPL in 2009, she worked at other libraries in Alberta and Saskatchewan in leadership roles.

Nationally, Day has led digital content advocacy efforts through the Canadian Urban Libraries Council, served on eBound Canada’s board of directors, and helped plan and execute intellectual freedom training for library staff.

“Libraries are essential public infrastructure because they connect people to community, culture and knowledge,” Day said in the release. “It is a privilege to lead an organization that fosters those connections every day.”

Martinez, who spent 26 years with the EPL, leaves having overseen several major developments, including the redevelopment of the downtown Stanley A. Milner Library, the opening of 14 new branches, the renovation and expansion of six branches, the elimination of fines, leading initiatives such as storefront branches and literacy vans, and expanding access to digital content and creative technology. She will stay on with the EPL until mid-September to help with Day’s transition into the CEO role.