Hennepin County Library Director Lois Langer Thompson will leave her position in a few weeks to take over as director of a library system in Washington state.
Thompson, 57, who led the county's libraries for 10 years, will begin as executive director of Sno-Isle Libraries in Washington in December. Her last day with Hennepin County will be Oct. 12.
She said Wednesday that it had been "an honor" to lead the Hennepin system, which has 41 libraries, more than 850,000 cardholders and an $86.2 million budget.
"I have absolutely loved being with Hennepin County," she said. "I just felt like it was time for a change."
Thompson said that county officials likely would select an interim director and conduct a nationwide search for her replacement.
"Whoever steps in as interim [director], I set it up well for them," she said. "It'll be a really smooth transition into the next director."
Thompson was named interim director of the Hennepin County libraries in 2008, only months after the Minneapolis library system merged with the county's. Thompson, who had worked for 20 years in the county's libraries, was appointed library director in February 2009.
She said the merger was difficult work that allowed the county to serve a more diverse population. She said that she also was proud of the library system's ongoing efforts to reach out to Somali, Hispanic and American Indian communities.
