The Prince George’s County (Md.) library trustees voted to dismiss Director Bart Kane less than three weeks after they placed him on administrative leave pending a performance evaluation. Board President Rebecca Gitter told American Libraries that the February 17 dismissal was unanimous and effective immediately. “We won’t be releasing the results of our investigation,” she said after the dismissal was made public March 7. “It’s a personnel matter and we don’t want to get into confidential information.”
Kane, who has been with the library since November 1998, was dismissed as state librarian of Hawaii that year by the state’s board of education after allegations of mismanagement.
The Washington Post reported March 9 that Kane’s attorney said that library trustees claimed “there were some administrative oversights that they felt were his responsibility and he hadn’t fulfilled.” Among these were failing to cooperate with outside auditors and to obtain certification to work as a librarian in Maryland. At a February 17 hearing, the board apparently did not question him about an incident where he allegedly made a racially insulting remark.
Associate Director Maralita Freeny will continue as Prince George’s interim director.
Posted March 13, 2000.