Joe Davich has been named director of the Georgia Center for the Book after serving about six months as interim director.

Davich is a West Virginia native and graduated from West Virginia University. He replaces Bill Starr, the first director for the center, who retired last spring.

The Georgia Center for the Book operates out of the Decatur library building and promotes literacy across Georgia.

It organizes more than 100 book events yearly, often for major authors. For instance, Garrison Keillor and Amy Tan will visit Decatur this fall to talk about their new books.

The center also co-sponsors the Townsend Prize and the Lillian Smith Award, state literary awards.

Alison Weissinger, director of the DeKalb County Public Library, had said more than 200 people applied for the job. She sent out this email on Tuesday:

“I am pleased to announce that Joe Davich has been hired as the new Director of the Georgia Center for the Book. As many of you know, Joe has worked for the GCB/DCPL in a merit-exempt position for the past eight years. He is a fixture in the metro-Atlanta literary scene and I look forward to seeing the Center for the Book grow and flourish under his leadership. Please join me in welcoming Joe in his new role!”