Southwest Public Libraries: Meredith Wickham to succeed retiring Mark Shaw as director The Southwest Public Libraries will have a new director starting Jan. 25. The library board of trustees has chosen Meredith Wickham to succeed director Mark Shaw, who is retiring after 35 years. The board had conducted a nationwide search with the assistance of executive search consultants Bradbury Miller Associates of Kansas City, Missouri, before appointing Wickham, who is the director of the First Regional Library based in Hernando, Mississippi, and who oversees operations for one of the largest public library systems in the state, according to a Dec. 29 release from Southwest Public Libraries.