Correction appended

The University is holding town hall meetings this week for staff and faculty to help GW pick its next head librarian.

The four candidates vying for the post will each present their ideas and field questions from participants. The first meeting, introducing Martin Halbert, the University of North Texas’s dean of libraries, drew about 30 attendees Wednesday.

GW narrowed down the pool from 40 candidates, and will select the hire next month. The post will steer the library as it undergoes $16 million in renovations.

The three other contenders hail from Pennsylvania State University, the University of Miami, and Rice University. The rest of the meetings will be held Feb. 1, Feb. 12, and Feb. 15, respectively.

Each candidate will also be interviewed by a search committee comprising library administrators, IT staff, faculty, alumni, and a student. The candidates will also meet with top University leadership, including President Steven Knapp and Provost Steven Lerman.

Two-time alumna and former deputy librarian Andrea Stewart has led GW Libraries as interim leader since the retirement of Jack Siggins last August.

This article was updated Feb. 4, 2013 to reflect the following:

The Hatchet incorrectly reported that Gelman Library renovations total $17 million. The renovations cost $16 million. We regret this error.