Kim Finnegan trains Molly Allen on library processes.
By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
Kim Finnegan has been director at the Panora Library for 30 years and is ready to move on to the next chapter in her life.
“In 1992, I was asked to be on the library board, so I did that for a few years, and then the librarian was going to retire, and she asked me if I’d be interested in the job,” Finnegan said. “The board interviewed me, and then I had to take classes to be accredited,” Finnegan said. “I started in January of 1995, and that was in the old library, where city hall is now.”
At that time, the library building was in need of replacement, so Finnegan undertook the long process of figuring out how to make that happen. Thanks to generous donations, including a $200,000 from the Bill Deal family, Finnegan and the library foundation secured funding to build a new library.
“We had a lot of people who gave donations, and we had some grants,” Finnegan said. “It took a few years to build the new library, and we’ve been here for 19 years now.”
Finnegan said many citizens helped with the actual physical moving of books and other items.
Another big change during Finnegan’s tenure has been the library’s online presence.
“We decided we needed to go online with the card catalog, so that was a lot of work,” Finnegan said. “And then eventually a website, computers and stuff like that.”
A few years ago, when Molly Allen was hired at the library, Finnegan was beginning to think about retirement, and Allen seemed like a natural candidate to fill the vacancy when it would occur. That day now is just around the corner, as Finnegan’s last day as library director is scheduled for March 31.
“I gave the library board a six-month notice,” Finnegan said. “I have two grandkids, and I want to spend more time with them, so I’m looking forward to that. And I like to travel.”
Allen said she looks forward to working at the library each day and enjoys interacting with patrons.
“We moved here in 2020, and I’ve always loved libraries,” Allen said. “My mom and I had a used book store.”
The library will host an open house for the public to wish Finnegan well in retirement. The event will be Thursday, March 27, 2-5 p.m. with cookies and refreshments.
“I hope that people continue to support the library and support Molly,” Finnegan said. “Through 30 years, I’ve met a lot of people and had a lot of friendships with people. That is one thing I’ll miss, because I am a social person.”