David Clapp will retire as director of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library system Dec. 31, according to a news release.
The Library Board of Directors is forming a search committee for his replacement.
“Under David’s leadership as assistant director in 1996, the library underwent a complete automation of services,” said board Chairman David Turner.
Mr. Clapp took the position in 2002, and has overseen the establishment of the library’s DVD, books on CD and downloadable book collections. He also established an on-demand rental program in 2005, meaning branch libraries were able to offer DVDs for the first time to their library patrons.
With seed money from the Friends of the Library, he created a library bookstore staffed completely by volunteers. Money generated from book sales pay the salary of a part-time Volunteer Coordinator, who places and supervises almost 300 volunteers who contribute over 10,000 service hours a year. With the funds generated from the library’s fundraiser, ClubLib, Mr. Clapp has greatly expanded educational audiovisual materials for children, created a teen center in the downtown library, enhanced services to senior citizens, and is now funding the digitization of the library’s most popular local history collections.
“I am grateful for the many outstanding elected officials, community leaders, and library patrons who have supported the library,” he said in the release. “But I am most grateful for the outstanding employees and volunteers who have supported us during this difficult economic time.”