CEDAR FALLS -- Carol French Johnson was the only joint director the Waterloo and Cedar Falls public libraries had ever known.

When she announced her retirement, the two library boards searched wide and far for a replacement. They wound up with one Johnson, and the Waterloo board, knew well.

Sheryl Groskurth, the public services librarian at the Waterloo Public Library, will be the new joint director of the two libraries.

Groskurth, 49, has been with the Waterloo Public library since 1983, serving in a number of positions.

"She's covered all the bases wonderfully," said Waterloo library board president Bob Griffin. "She works well with both staffs."

The two boards had narrowed their search to four candidates and interviewed those candidates two weeks ago. On Tuesday, both boards met separately at the Cedar Falls Public Library to make their choice, then met jointly to finalize the decision. Groskurth was selected unanimously by each board.

Groskurth was in Boston at a Public Library Association conference when Cedar Falls library board member Gretchen Behm contacted her with the news.

She's excited to take the reins, and about the chance to get to know the Cedar Falls staff and community better.

"I don't anticipate any major changes right off the bat. I've worked with Carol very closely over the past few years and we're very compatible as far as where we see the libraries going," Groskurth said.

After the interviews, Behm found the decision rather easy.

"In Cedar Falls we were just impressed with her skills in working with people," Behm said. "She looks at a library as a community center, a place for all people. She understands the changing nature of libraries."

Groskurth had been a reference and technical services assistant at the Waterloo library through much of the 1990s. She then served as technical services administrator from 1998 through 2003, when she became the public services librarian. In that role she managed the circulation and reference departments, as well as serving as collection manager for the adult collection.

Groskurth earned bachelor's degrees in English and psychology from Iowa State University in 1981. She went back to school and earned a masters of library and information science from the University of Iowa in 2003.

Waterloo and Cedar Falls agreed to use a joint director position in 1996. Under the agreement, Johnson was hired to lead both libraries. She remained an employee of the city of Cedar Falls, but her salary was split, with Waterloo paying 60 percent.

The two boards agreed to the same salary split Tuesday, with Waterloo covering 60 percent and Cedar Falls paying 40 percent. They offered Groskurth $82,000 per year for the job. Groskurth will have the option of remaining a Waterloo employee or becoming a Cedar Falls employee.

Johnson's retirement takes effect March 30, although she has already ceased her duties, using up her accrued vacation time. Groskurth is expected to assume the new role in April.

Griffin thinks the libraries' customers will like Groskurth.

"She has a very patron-oriented point of view," Griffin said.

Contact Jon Ericson at (319) 291-1402 or jonathan.ericson@wcfcourier.com.