Katherine Neidig had about three months of regular work when she started in a part-time position at the Murrysville Community Library in January 2020.
“I was doing cataloguing and technical services, and then all the procedures were tossed aside during the pandemic,” said Neidig, who grew up in Murrysville and graduated from Franklin Regional in 2008 before pursuing a master’s degree from Clarion University in library and information science.
On the final week of January, she became the new executive director for her hometown library.
“I remember going to the library when it was down on Carson Avenue,” said Neidig, who most recently was working as the teen librarian and technical services assistant. Prior to joining the library, she worked as a reference librarian in the Heinz History Center’s archives.
“I’m a first-time director so there’s a lot of learning I still need to do,” she said. “But I think what I’m looking forward to most is community outreach. I’m someone who likes to connect with people. When someone comes into the library, I want to know them on a first-name basis and create that sense of community so people feel like they’re at home when they come here.”
Aiding in that mission is a nearly $400,000 state grant awarded to the library in the fall from the Pennsylvania Broadband Authority’s multi-purpose community facilities program.
“Our focus for that is making the library ADA-compliant and making it accessible for everyone,” Neidig said. “We have a wish list for things like a new circulation desk that’s built to be welcoming to all people and even to kids. We want to add programming that can help people develop workforce skills.”
Neidig said library staff would also like to be able to host health screenings and telemedicine appointments.
“One thing we’ve heard from patrons is that they’d like access to some quiet rooms,” she said. “It would be a place where people can take confidential calls for something like telemedicine, and it would also be a private space where patrons can do things that are a little more sensitive.”
Neidig also has a strong support network to help her acclimate to her new job title.
“I’m only on my third day,” she said on Jan. 29. “I haven’t had a chance to make a formal strategic plan yet, but that’s something every director does when they start. And Melinda Tanner, our Westmoreland Library Network consultant, does a wonderful job creating a great support system where everyone kind of works together.”