After leading the Park County Library System for 15 years, director Frances Clymer will retire at the end of April.

“It’s been a wonderful journey,” Clymer told Park County commissioners on Tuesday. “It’s had some of its ups and downs, but for the most part, it’s been fun.”

The county library board is wasting no time in looking for a new director, planning to send an advertisement to libraries across 12 Western states this week. Board Chairman John Gordnier said he’s hoping the search yields 15 to 20 applicants that can be winnowed to a group of three to five semifinalists. The ultimate goal is to have a new director in place on May 1, Gordnier said.

Clymer, who took over as director in 2005, helped oversee the construction of the current Cody library early on in her tenure. Gordnier implied that her replacement may be called upon to help build a new facility in Powell, as library boosters say the current building is outdated and crowded.

“We’ve got a huge challenge coming up over the next two to four years, and that is the Powell Library,” Gordnier said. “We need someone on board who can run the system, continue the service and who can work with you and the board as an effective advocate to get the Powell system up to speed and continue the high level of service it provides.”

Gordnier added his belief that the county’s library system — which includes facilities in Powell, Cody and Meeteetse — “serves ... more people in this county than any other system.” He said a director is needed to continue the services it offers.

Gordnier made the remarks in response to Commissioner Lloyd Thiel, who suggested that, given the county’s budget crunch, the library system should name an interim director or hold off for six months “until we know where our budget is.”

“I don’t know that I could support hiring anybody at this time, except possibly [someone] internal; I would support that …,” Thiel said.

Commission Chairman Joe Tilden interrupted Thiel to note that, while the county has a hiring freeze in place, the commission generally allows the library board to decide how to spend the money in its separate budget.

“The director works for the board, not for us,” Tilden said. “So … that’s not our decision to make.”

“It is my decision to support it or not,” Thiel responded. “I’m just voicing my concern.”

The library board proposed listing the job with a salary range that, depending on experience, starts at $63,000 and runs up to $79,000, which is roughly what Clymer makes. The board is seeking someone with a master’s degree in library science, at least two years of administrative experience and preferably five or more years of library experience.

Gordnier indicated that the compensation package should be attractive to candidates, including to people at smaller library systems.

“We aren’t going to compete with Denver, we’re not going to compete with Natrona County,” he said. “But you have a lot of mid-level people in this area who, we hope, will be looking to move up to a director’s position in a county like Park.”

Clymer came to the county library system after serving as a librarian at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center (now the Buffalo Bill Center of the West), where she worked more than 20 years.

“You’ve done a marvelous job for the county and the library system,” Commissioner Tilden told Clymer on Tuesday. “And I, for one, am going to miss you very much.”

“We’re going to miss her, too,” said Gordnier, adding, “We are going to have a lot of time and effort put in to seeing if we can come close to replacing what she offers in terms of skill.”