Kate Brown ousted the state librarian Tuesday in a move that surprised and angered many librarians and library supporters around Oregon.

The governor decided that State Librarian MaryKay Dahlgreen "fell short of clear and timely expectations from legislators," spokeswoman Kate Kondayen said. Brown gave Dahlgreen the option to transition out of her position, but she chose to be fired instead, Kondayen said.

The governor has not yet chosen a replacement, her spokeswoman said.

Ann Malkin, the chair of the Oregon State Library Board of Directors, said that the board and librarians throughout the state thought Dahlgreen did a great job.

"We hate to lose her expertise and her leadership," Malkin said.

Malkin was surprised to receive a call from the governor's office that informed her of the decision to remove Dahlgreen. Malkin expected that the board would have input, the chance to advocate for Dahlgreen or at least a heads up on a major decision like that.

"People talk a lot about transparency in government, and I think when you make major decisions like this, that it's good to do this in an open forum where people have a chance to bring forward information and maybe educate people about the role that person has played in the organization and how she has performed her job duties," Malkin said.

A State Library employee since 1996, Dahlgreen was chosen as state librarian in 2012 after serving as interim head.

Until 2015, board of directors for the State Library had the power to choose the agency's director. That year, with the support of the state library board, the Legislature gave that power to the governor.

Brown submitted Dahlgreen's name for reappointment by the Oregon Senate this year. But she subsequently withdrew it.

"The governor strongly supports the mission of libraries, and believes that a strong leader in the State Library is key to effectively drive its partner programming across the state," said Kondayen said in a statement. "The governor's office will work to recruit a highly qualified candidate that can deliver on the clear and reasonable expectations for the State Library and the various educational programs it oversees."

Before Dahlgreen, 62, started working for the Oregon State Library, as its youth service specialist, she worked in the King County Library System in Washington and at the Albany Public Library.

As state librarian, Dahlgreen succeeded Jim Scheppke, who served for two decades. The person first chosen to replace Scheppke was fired and pleaded guilty to second-degree forgery for lying about his credentials. Dahlgreen, who hadn't originally applied for the position, decided to submit her name and won.

The State Library performs three primary functions: as a research arm for other state departments; as a funder and consultant to libraries around the state to make sure they are up-to-date with research and trends; and as the distributor of audiobooks and braille books for people with vision impairment or physical obstacles to holding a print book.

Scheppke announced his retirement in 2010 and left in 2011 after lawmakers' started focusing on reworking how the State Library managed funds and served its roles mounted. Dahlgreen oversaw the state of a revamp of the Oregon State Library, which included closing a public reference room in order to focus more on assisting state employees in other departments with research needs.

There are currently 40 full-time positions with three managers plus the State Librarian.

The State Library board of directors, who are all appointed by the governor as well, will have a say in the replacement, said Malkin, who is also involved in the Deschutes County library system. She said she is focused on the future because the position is too important to get mired in politics.

But the perceived secrecy around the decision concerns many librarians.

Buzzy Nielsen, the director of Crook County Library and president of the Oregon Library Association, said he lost some trust in the new appointment process. He signed a letter the association sent to Brown to express disappointment in Dahlgreen's termination.

The Oregon Library Association officially endorsed the new system as part of a raft of changes. Dahlgreen also supported it, according to Nielsen. He said that they wanted the State Library to be treated similar to most other state agencies, which have governor-appointed heads.

"We didn't want the State Library to be the ignored agency," Nielsen said. "We wanted it to have the respect of other agencies."

He said that most librarians in the state were supportive of the changes at the State Library and approved of Dahlgreen's leadership. A senator's dislike of the speed of the changes points to a possible ignorance of how the State Library and local library systems work, he said.

"They have been making these changes that the state Legislature has been wanting them to do," said Nielsen. "There's only so fast that these changes can be made."

This is the seventh department chief to be ousted since Brown took office in 2015.

State schools chief Salam Noor was forced out by Brown in November. Michael Jordan, the state's chief operating officer and an ally of former Gov. John Kitzhaber, resigned less than a month after Brown took office. Two directors of the state's human services agency, Erinn Kelley-Siel and Clyde Saiki, have stepped down as Brown sought to deal with ongoing problems in the child welfare program.

Brown ousted the director of the state Employment Department, Lisa Nisenfeld, in January 2016 after a state audit was critical of the agency. Dick Pedersen, director of Oregon's environmental regulatory agency, stepped down amid outcry that his agency failed to regulate toxic air emissions.

The governor fired Lottery director Jack Roberts last year after he allegedly refused to reinstate an employee accused of harassment. (The employee was later found to have harassed subordinates and lied to an investigator.) And in August, Oregon Health Authority director Lynne Saxton resigned after revelations the agency drafted a plan to smear a Portland health care provider.

-- Molly Harbarger

mharbarger@oregonian.com

503-294-5923

@MollyHarbarger