Oswego Library District's new assistant director a familiar face

When Oswego Public Library District Director Sarah Skilton received the approval last year from the district's board of trustees to hire an assistant director, she was swamped with applications from 50-60 interested candidates.

They ranged from several existing employees to others from far and wide, so her search and interviews of applicants lasted for several months to be sure she found the right person.

And that right person who received the okay from the trustees was existing employee, Krista Katzen. Skilton said she had seen Katzen perform in several positions during her 13-years with the district and believed she was a likely candidate for the job.

But making the decision was not done quickly. Skilton said she interviewed more than a half-dozen candidates before making her decision.

Katzen said she gave a lot of thought before applying. She knew there was competition for the job, not just from the outside, but from several of her coworkers.

Skilton, who has spent 25 years with the district, told the board last year that the population growth in the district has made it necessary for her to have an assistant. She had seen the Montgomery Campus Library sprout out of a field 10 years ago, and she was in charge of several additions to the original downtown Oswego building.

Katzen said she felt she was qualified for the job because of her time with the district and her desire for years to some day become a director.

"I already knew most of the staff and had worked with the schools over the years, so I knew people there." she said.

She began her Oswego career as Outreach Librarian in the Children's Department and moved through the ranks of other positions including being named the head of the Young Adult Department when it was created. She served there until she was named assistant director.

Katzen earned a bachelor's degree at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis., in 2001 and received her master's of library science degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., in 2007.

As assistant director, Katzen spends most of her time at the Oswego Campus, and Skilton now dedicates much of her time to the Montgomery Campus.

"This has given me more time to work on other things as well as spend more time in the community that I could not do before," Skilton said.

In approving Katzen's hiring to her new position, the board approved her annual salary at $90,000.