Findlay-Hancock library director agrees to 18-month buyout

FINDLAY - Sybil Galer, long-time director of the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library, resigned yesterday as part of an agreement with the board of trustees that will allow her to work as a consultant for 18 months, then retire.

Ms. Galer, director since 1997, had been on paid administrative leave for undisclosed reasons since January.

In a joint news release issued by Ms. Galer and library trustees, Ms. Galer said she suffers from fibromyalgia, a chronic physical illness that is exacerbated by stress and fatigue.

"The events of 2008 particularly the August [2007] flood pushed my body beyond healthy limits," Ms. Galer said in the statement.

"I am no longer capable of performing the duties required of an active library director. I am saddened to be unable to continue working in a job that I loved."

Under an agreement with the board, Ms. Galer is to work from home on special projects and as a consultant until her retirement in September, 2009.

She is to be paid a gross salary of $1,089 every two weeks.

As part of the separation agreement, she and the board agreed not to make any public statements about the situation.

Ed Railing, board president, declined to comment on the reason Ms. Galer had been placed on leave.

Mr. Railing said the board had not determined how it would seek a replacement for Ms. Galer, but trustees named Carol Dunn as interim director.

Also yesterday, library trustees approved contracts worth $1.3 million for flood mitigation improvements. The library's mechanical systems will be moved out of the basement to a new outbuilding to be constructed behind the downtown library.

Charles Construction of Findlay was hired as general contractor for the project, which is expected to take 200 days. It will be paid for with a combination of federal, state, and local funds.