Officials at the Wareham Free Library announced that the department will have a new director by the first week of December at a recertification party held on Thursday night.

George Ripley, the manager of the Howland-Green Library in New Bedford, will take over the duties assumed by Acting Library Director Kathy Murphy and join Wareham’s library staff full-time.

Former Wareham Free Library Director Michael Carlozzi, who helped to facilitate the library’s recertification, left the position in August when he accepted a job at the East Providence Library in Rhode Island. 

“We’re very excited to welcome George into our library,” Murphy said. “Just absolutely thrilled.”

The Wareham Free Library previously lost its state certification in 2014 when voters defeated a Proposition 2 1/2 override which would have provided money for several town agencies by raising property taxes if approved.

The library’s budget was slashed from $295,637 to $125,000 because of the vote, forcing staff to reduce hours and spending on new materials. Patrons were unable to access resources from libraries in neighboring towns and Wareham was unable to salary an accredited director of its own.

After four years of hard work and tireless fundraising efforts carried out by various organizations, the Wareham Free Library rejoined the state’s network on Nov. 1.

“It’s been a long journey,” said Board of Trustees Chair Johnna Fredrickson. “What I’m feeling tonight can’t even be described as happiness—it’s pure joy.”

Reference Librarian Steven Miller echoed Fredrickson’s sentiment.

“Just being able to tell someone that I can get them a book from another town is amazing,” he said. “Our limited selection really restricted people.”

Alone, the Wareham Free Library has 167,000 materials available for its patrons. As a member of the state network, that number increases to 26 million. This includes items such as audio books, CDs, movies and more.

“As a parent who home schools, I don’t have to worry about where I’m going to find materials anymore,” said resident Aprilleigh Lauer. “Before, I had to ask my sister to borrow books for us in Middleborough.”

Mel Dyer, who headed the search committee for a new director, said she was positively ecstatic with library’s renewed status and Ripley’s hiring.

“He has a lot of ideas and enthusiasm,” she said. “I couldn’t think of a better person for the job.”

Ripley was unable to attend Thursday night’s celebration, but Dyer noted that some of his plans for the library include bringing back club activities and advancing the department’s technical capabilities.

“His vision for the future is very in line with what we want for the library,” she said. “He’ll be an amazing asset for us.”