Eight years ago, Peter Rachleff and Beth Cleary founded East Side Freedom Library, transforming an old St. Paul Public Library building into a place where the histories of immigrants, labor, feminism, jazz and African Americans are nurtured and shared.

Now, another transformation is taking place.

Rachleff, a retired Macalester College labor history professor, and Cleary, who still teaches theater and dance at Macalester, are stepping down as co-executive directors. The library will hire its first paid leader to take their place. The plan is to fill the position by May 1.

"We're looking for someone younger than us to begin with," said Rachleff, 70. "And someone who believes in the mission of the library."

Located in St. Paul's most ethnically diverse neighborhood — and perhaps its most economically challenged — East Side Freedom Library combines the 26,000 books on its shelves, an extensive Hmong archive, a variety of visual and recorded arts and frequent community gatherings and workshops to advocate for social justice.

"It feels like a good time [to step aside]," Rachleff said. "We very much want to see people of color participate in this process, to take more of a leadership role here."

Applications for the new executive director position will be accepted through March 1. The pay range is $90,000 to $120,000 per year. The job description can be found here.

Built in 1917, the Arlington Hills Library was one of three St. Paul libraries constructed with money from the late industrial tycoon Andrew Carnegie. Vacated by the city in 2014 after a new library and community center opened nearby, the building's availability allowed East Side residents Cleary and Rachleff to realize a decades-long desire to combine theater and labor history into a lasting archive and public resource.

The husband and wife formed a nonprofit and signed a 15-year lease with the city for $1 a year. For the past eight years, they've written grants and marshaled volunteers to keep it going. While the public cannot check out books or other materials, everyone from schoolkids and book clubs to researchers and archivists have explored its collections.

It costs about $4,000 a month to operate the library, Rachleff said. Neither he nor Cleary are paid.

"We operate from the assumption that if people from diverse communities on the East Side could speak with a louder and more consistent voice, the neighborhood could gain more funding," he said, pointing to issues ranging from increased access to broadband to living-wage jobs and affordable housing. "It really feels like we're at a crossroads between past and present."

St. Paul City Council Member Nelsie Yang, who represents the area, praised Cleary and Rachleff for their work.

"They have run the East Side library in a way that's really a pillar of our community," she said, adding that they've set a high bar for the next director. "It will be so crucial to have somebody who can carry on the work, about people and building community."

Jane Prince, also a council member representing the East Side, said in a text that her first reaction to the news of Rachleff and Cleary stepping down was "that Peter and Beth can't retire!"

But then, she said, "I realized their leadership has created a new generation of broad and diverse leadership in our community to sustain this magical place. Peter and Beth created the ESFL to be a place where all of us are welcomed, and where we quickly learn that what makes us different — from our ages and genders to our languages and multicultural backgrounds — is what makes us stronger."