New Rockford Public Library director aims to focus on outreach, community building

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — For much of the past seven years, Rockford Public Library leadership has dedicated its energy into shepherding the completion of a massive project to rebuild a new main branch.

Now, the library’s new top executive says he’s ready to focus his energy on outreach.

“A lot of our time has been spent with this beautiful building, and getting it ready and operational, and all the design work and construction that went into that. That was a lot of inward focus,” said Tony Cortez, who took over as the library’s executive director on Wednesday. “So my vision is getting out in the community, interacting with people, finding out what are the needs, how can the library fill those needs, how can we make a greater impact in our community.”

Cortez is succeeding Lynn Stainbrook, who retired Tuesday after 42 years at the helm of various public library systems, including 11 leading the Rockford Public Library.

He plans to spend time meeting with community groups and residents to hear from them what they want from their library. That work, he said, will build on the efforts already underway through its mobile library, traveling DigiLibrary and the outreach work of team members such as Anne O’Keefe, the assistant director of community engagement.

“The collection to me isn’t just what’s in the walls here, it’s the whole community,” Cortez said. “The people, the organizations, and how can we put all these together in a way that’s most beneficial to our community.”

The 41-year-old lifelong Rockford resident has spent roughly a decade as the library’s director of finance and IT. Before that he was with the city of Rockford as an accountant, water billing analyst and customer service center manager for nearly 10 years.

The library’s board of trustees used an Ohio-based search firm to identify nearly 20 candidates for the top job before ultimately offering the role to Cortez, according to Paul Logli, a trustee and former board president.

“Anthony is a forward-thinking leader who understands the power of libraries to change lives,” Logli said in a statement. “He has the trust of our staff and the vision to continue building on the incredible momentum RPL has established.”

Cortez is a 2002 Boylan Catholic High School graduate and 2006 graduate of Rockford College, now Rockford University. He is pursuing his master of library sciences degree through Drexel University. Those degrees are often required from an American Library Association-accredited university for library director roles. The board’s job listing also called for candidates to have that advanced degree. Trustees decided Cortez’s progress toward the degree was satisfactory given his other qualifications, Logli said.

Cortez said he considers the degree an important part of continuing his education as he steps into the new role.

“Even though I’ve learned through osmosis from working here for a decade and interacting with the different departments …  I still want to, No. 1, demonstrate to them, to the community and to everyone else that I see the value of getting the degree,” he said.

As executive director, Cortez is responsible for overseeing the four locations of the library system and its operations. The library employs nearly 80 people, including approximately 65 full-time employees.

He said part of his vision is for the library to become one of the often talked about “third spaces,” a spot where people gather to socialize and build community.

“We want you to be comfortable coming here and hanging out,” he said. “A lot of our conversations these days take place online, and I find that it’s more beneficial to the human being when they happen face-to-face.”

He said those connections can happen among the stacks of books, at the Nordlof Center or in the maker spaces.

“That’s an opportunity where you can run into people in the community that maybe, where you circulate and where your sphere of influence is, you would never come across. Those connections are important to really understand who we share this geographical community with,” he said. “That just builds greater understanding and, I believe, greater empathy and willingness to work together.”

The new library, which opened in summer 2024, was designed with those type of gathering spaces in mind. The library was forced to be demolished because of environmental hazards related to the land’s history as a gas plant. ComEd paid for the vast majority of the demolition and rebuild.

Stainbrook, who oversaw the rebuild, said she’s confident in Cortez’s ability to lead the library into its next phase.

“I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve RPL and the Rockford community,” she said in a statement. “Anthony’s commitment to public service and innovation will serve the library and our city well for years to come.”

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas