Freeport Public Library Names New Executive Director

FREEPORT, IL – The Board of Trustees of the Freeport Public Library voted during their February 11 board meeting to hire Emily Schaub as the new Executive Director of the Library. The decision comes after a nationwide search to succeed Ashley Huffines who resigned in November 2025.

Schaub will begin February 23.

Schaub comes to Freeport from the Peru Public Library where she had been Teen Services Manager since 2018 and interim co-director since 2022. She also worked at the Utica and Alpha Park Public Library and served as a trustee on the LaSalle Public Library Board.

The Board appreciated the research Schaub did on the Library and community to prepare for her interviews. “She has many wonderful ideas for the Library,” Board President Mary Kaufman said. “But more than that, she’s also eager to bring her skills and talents to Freeport.” Trustee Alan Greene liked that Schaub showed a “willingness to make the library more than it has been. Many people see their library as a community center, Emily wants to make it a center of the community.”

For additional information, visit the Freeport Public Library website at www.freeportpubliclibrary.org.