Matyas moving on

Six months after being fired from her job in Waterloo, a former chief librarian has landed a job in Brampton. Cathy Matyas will officially become CEO of the Brampton Public Library on August 3rd, taking over for the retiring Adele Kostiak.

In a release, the Brampton Public Library Board describes Matyas as "the best possible person for this important job" and stresses that Matyas "has the abilities and the skills that a CEO needs to meet the challenges of the Brampton Library and the emerging directions the Brampton Library is taking." Matyas is quoted as saying she's "delighted by the opportunity" and that "there is a momentum in Brampton that I'm excited to be part of."

Brampton's gain, according to Wendy Hicks, is Waterloo's loss. "Because Waterloo Public is my home library and because I know Cathy's performance," says the Deputy Director of the Stratford Public Library, "I'm equally dismayed that she will not be putting her time and energy towards the city of Waterloo."

Hicks says she was "thrilled" to receive word of Matyas' appointment from the Southern Ontario Library Service early Thursday morning, adding that Matyas deserves the opportunity to work in a larger system (six locations plus a new branch) and community.

Hicks also believes Matyas' track record in Waterloo speaks for itself. "Even if you just stand outside and look at the traffic that goes in there now," Hicks says, "she (Matyas) took it from a library that was at the very lowest of its per capita funding and lowest in terms of traffic and interest in the community to one of the most respected across the country."

Matyas has spent 28 years in library administration, the past seven as CEO in Waterloo.