City of Sierra Madre Hires New Library and Community Services Director

Ryan Baker will be assuming his responsibilities as Library & Community Services Director with the City of Sierra Madre on Tuesday, June 14, 2016.

Ryan Baker has worked in public libraries for the past 13 years. He has served as City Librarian for the City of Irwindale for the last five years, prior to which he worked for the City of Long Beach and the City of Alhambra specializing in services for Children and Young Adults. He holds a Masters in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University and a Bachelors of Fine Arts from the California Institute of the Arts.

Ryan stated, “I am excited to join the City of Sierra Madre and contribute to the work of building on established strengths while branching out in new directions. This is an exciting opportunity to enhance educational and recreational experiences for all the members of this beautiful community – from our youngest tots to our treasured seniors.”

Currently, he serves as Chair of the Administrative Council for the Southern California Library Cooperative and in the past has served on bylaws, finance, and content evaluation committees for the California Library Association and the American Library Association.

City Manager Elaine Aguilar stated, “I welcome Ryan to the City of Sierra Madre. His energy and enthusiasm along with his success in grant writing and program planning are a great foundation to spearhead the Library and Community Services Department.”

Mr. Baker enjoys volunteering on cave exploration and conservation projects and has contributed to cartography projects for the National Park Service and the Belize National Institute of Archeology.