The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday officially and unanimously named Alison McKee to the post of county librarian, a job she did on an interim basis since October.
McKee has worked in the county system since 2002. She will receive annual compensation of $281,442.
“I just want to say how thrilled I am,” McKee told the board. “It’s quite an honor to serve the people where I live, so thank you.”
The county’s recruitment process garnered 29 applicants. Supervisors said McKee’s ability to understand the role of modern libraries and familiarity with the system was a plus.
“She’s been a real pleasure to work with, particularly as we’ve gone through this COVID crisis and differing hours and ways we could operate and (through) smoky wildfires, and Alison has been so good at getting information out to all our offices,” said Supervisor Candace Anderson.
“Alison, I’m very excited,” said board chairwoman and Supervisor Diane Burgis. “You’ve been a great communicator. The fact that you’ve moved up through the ranks is really an exciting thing. It means we’re doing something right.”
McKee became a deputy county librarian in 2015. She holds a master’s degree in Library and Information Sciences from San Jose State University and a bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
In the interim position, she oversaw the entire system’s budget and several large projects, including an overhaul of the system’s IT security system and a transition into a broadband network that will increase the district’s Internet speed ten-fold.