By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
The Princeton Public Library transitioned leaders this week with new executive director Brett Bonfield taking the reins of the organization on Tuesday.
Mr. Bonfield spent his first day on the job meeting with staff.
“I am overjoyed with how they feel about the community and how they feel about each other,” he said later in the day at the library board of trustees meeting.
“The first question I asked everyone is what they liked best about the library. And I believe, to a person, they said the people that we serve and the people that I work with.”
Mr. Bonfield, 46, took over from Leslie Burger to lead an organization that has 68 total employees and had a $5.4 million operating budget in 2015. He was hired in November, having emerged from a field of 25 candidates vying to replace her. He previously ran the Collingswood Library, in Camden County, and worked at college libraries in Philadelphia.
He holds degrees from Rutgers and Drexel universities. His salary is $128,000.
Mr. Bonfield assumed control with the library set to embark on renovating the second floor of the building, a project that was conceived during Ms. Burger’s tenure. Due to take six to eight months to complete, the renovation aims to redesign the second floor, add more work space and make other improvements.
As for the new director, he and his wife recently relocated to Princeton by renting an apartment in town.
“It’s a fantastic community,” he said.
