Scott County has hired a 31-year-old from St. Cloud as its new library director.

Jake Grussing took over the job on a probationary basis Dec. 31, county employment records show.

He succeeds Vanessa Birdsey, who retired last fall after lengthy service in the system.

A request to library officials on Friday for background information went unanswered during a holiday week.

Online memos from St. Cloud, however, indicate that he was a fast-track success at the Great River Regional Library system, a 31-library outfit in central Minnesota.

He received his master's degree in library science in August 2012, a memo reports, and was named the library system's new Coordinator for Collection Development. He started as a volunteer, the memo notes, then worked as a branch assistant in Cokato and in the circulation department at St. Cloud.

The Scott County library has branches in Shakopee, Prior Lake, Savage, Jordan, New Prague, Belle Plaine and Elko New Market.

David Peterson

dapeterson@startribune.com