By Richard L. Gaw

Staff Writer

Just as it prepares to fill a property along State Street in Kennett Square with what will become a spectacular 29,257-square-foot facility that will transform the community, the Kennett Library recently found itself with another hole to fill in the form of the upcoming departure of its executive director. 

Megan Walters, who has been in her role since 2017, recently notified the Library’s Board of Trustees that she has accepted a job as director at a library at Hurlburt Field, a U.S. Air Force installation located in Okaloosa County, Fla.

Walters’ last day is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 27.

“We thank Megan for her leadership and wish her well on her new endeavor,” said Board President Jeff Yetter. “Over the past four years, Megan has been instrumental in helping the library grow, and was an enthusiastic participant in the development of plans for the new Library and Resource Center. The community has benefited greatly from her vision and leadership. 

“We especially appreciate her efforts during the pandemic to keep the library top of mind for the community. We continue to hear praise from library patrons that the library was a lifeline during a very challenging time.”

While Walters said she has enjoyed the years she and her husband have lived in Kennett Square and the role she played at the Kennett Library, she welcomes her next chapter.

“I have lived in Kennett Square longer than I have lived anywhere else, and will always hold this area and the people in a special place in my heart,” she said. “While I will miss the area, travel is in my blood. I have moved 22 times in my life, and so for me moving has just been part of my life. I like going to new places and seeing new things. 

“The nice things about military libraries are that they actually move you overseas to military locations, so to have that opportunity was too good to pass up. My husband is also an English as a Second Language teacher, and these posts are all in countries where English is not the primary language.”

Walters thanked her staff for their hard work and dedication to the library, particularly during the pandemic, when several staffers compiled more than 3,000 outdated books for the community to read during a shutdown period in 2020.

“It’s kiddingly suggested that I am the face of the Kennett Library, but it is the staff of this library that has truly become our face,” Walters said. “These are the people who come in contact with our patrons every day. They know everyone’s name. They know when some has passed away and they know when someone has just had a baby.

We are in a position of knowing about people’s lives, and by having made those connections, we know they have been instrumental in creating what will become a new library.”

The Library’s Board of Trustees will immediately begin the search for a new executive director. The chosen candidate will be in charge of helping transition the library from its current 11,000-square-foot space to the new library, which is anticipated to undergo groundbreaking this August and projected to be completed in December 2022. 

“We are creating a state-of-the-art library that will transform this community, and are looking for a dynamic and inspiring leader who will advance our programs, support the building project and lead the staff during this transition and when the new library opens its doors,” Yetter said.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].