The Sara Hightower Regional Library Board is expected to appoint a new director within the next few months.

Delana Hickman has been serving as interim director since Susan Cooley retired in January after 15 years at the helm. The system is headquartered in the Rome-Floyd County Library and serves Floyd and Polk counties.

A subcommittee has been sifting through applications, to decide which candidates to invite back for a second round of interviews. Cedartown Commission Chairman Dale Tuck, vice chair of the library board, said the two-county system needs more than just a head librarian.

“We want somebody with background in running a system like ours, to come in behind Susan Cooley, who was phenomenal,” Tuck said. “They have to have experience doing the budget, setting policy, managing employees in Rome and in Polk.”

Floyd County Manager Blaine Williams said subcommittee members are checking references on several candidates to narrow the field.

“After that, we’ll come back together and discuss how they compare with our impressions from the first interviews,” he said.

The library board meets quarterly and its next meeting is scheduled for November. Williams said he expects the subcommittee to have completed its work before then. Under Georgia law, the board must announce up to three finalists at least 14 days before it makes a decision.

Tuck said she’s pleased with the quality of the candidates.

“It’s so essential to have someone who can really set the tone for the library as a cultural center,” she said. “We want to get the person who’d be a good fit for the community and can take that next step — to be creative in coming up with programs for everyone, not just the children.”

Tuck said senior citizens, the growing Hispanic community, genealogists, blind people and those seeking to improve their reading or computer literacy are special constituencies the library serves.

The Rome-Floyd County is at 205 Riverside Parkway in Rome, and there are branches in Cedartown, Rockmart and Cave Spring.