The head of the Baltimore County Public Library System (BCPL), Sonia Alcantara-Antoine, is no longer on the job, the Board of Library Trustees said.

The two sides "separated" as of Tuesday, Dec. 9, Yara Cheikh, the president of the Baltimore County Public Library Board of Trustees, said in a statement.

"We thank Sonia for her contributions over the years and wish her all the best in her future endeavors," the statement read. 

Cheikh added that the Board is "committed to working with staff, stakeholders and our Baltimore County residents as we move the library system forward together."

Librarians rehired after controversial layoffs 

Last month, 14 part-time Baltimore County librarians were unexpectedly laid off in November, and were then rehired two days later after a public outcry.

Library leaders informed the part-time librarians that their positions were eliminated as part of a decade-long decision to phase out part-time librarians, according to BCPL.   

The number of part-time librarian roles has declined from 79 in 2020 to 14 in 2025.   

"While the operational intent behind the decision was to enhance the level of service at the branches, we acknowledge this process was not handled with the respect and transparency our part-time librarians deserved," a library spokesperson wrote to WJZ.

Library workers who spoke with WJZ said they felt blindsided after library officials gave them no reason for the dismissal right before the holidays.

"In 1980, I was 16 in high school, and then I worked my way up to become a full-time librarian, and then once my son was born, in 1994, I came back after maternity leave to work as a part-time librarian," said Chris Curreri, a longtime librarian for Baltimore County Public Library. 

Curreri continued, "We have to deal with all of the social things that are happening in the world right now. We've got a pretty large homeless population that uses the library, and there's a lot of drug use, there's overdoses, so there's a lot to the job."

County Councilman Julian Jones shared a statement after learning about Alcantara-Antoine's departure, saying, "Good public servants can sometimes make mistakes. The mishandling of the fourteen library employees was an unfortunate error in judgment. Beyond shaking the confidence our public servants should have in the guarantees of county government, it has now cost us a leader who was deeply committed to ensuring that Baltimore County is home to the best public library system anywhere."