Memorial Library Director Laura McLaughlin to retire

KENT — Laura McLaughlin, who has been the director of the Kent Memorial Library since 2007, has announced that she plans to retire so she can pursue personal interests.McLaughlin, who lives in New Milford, has been a librarian her entire career.“I’m one of the few who knew early on that I wanted to be a librarian,” she said. “Many people decide on this as a second career, but I didn’t.” She started as a page, a young person who puts books away, while in high school, at the Cheshire Public Library.“Being in the library made me realize this could be a career for me.“I think public libraries play an extremely important role in a democratic society and provide an ongoing education to those who choose it. A library is also a real leveler for education, just because they’re so available. People with money, people without money, people from all walks of life can use a public library.”Before becoming director of the Kent Memorial Library, McLaughlin worked at the Danbury library for 21 years.McLaughlin said she’s retiring for a number of reasons.“There comes a point in your life when it is time to reprioritize and, in my case, that time is now. While my husband and I are still healthy and able to do things, we thought we would take this time and enjoy ourselves.”Among the things McLaughlin and her husband want to do is visit their grandchildren, who are scattered across the country and into Canada. They also want to travel, investigate retirement destinations and try to spend a winter without shoveling snow. “On a personal level there are some things I want to take the time to do just for me. I used to play the piano, haven’t touched it in years but would love to do so again. I love to cook, but I do not like to cook at the end of a workday when I’m tired and hungry. Nothing overly profound, just normal average things that I haven’t had a lot of time to do.” McLaughlin was asked what impact technology has had on libraries. Her responses covered a number of areas. “While technology has helped in many ways, it has also not helped.” When asked to explain, McLaughlin replied, “Not all libraries can afford technology at the same level, causing inequality among libraries.”She continued, “I would be a fool if I didn’t tell you e-books [electronic books] are having an impact on public libraries. I don’t believe print books will go away in my lifetime because not everyone can afford an e-reader, not everyone can afford to purchase downloadable e-books.” While many libraries currently offer downloadable e-books, Kent is still trying to decide if it can afford to do so. The Kent Library board has appointed a search committee to identify the institution’s next leader. Members of the committee are Michael Hallows, Kathleen Lindenmayer, Mary Henderson and Lisby Ritchie. Among the accomplishments they praised McLaughlin for, they noted that under her leadership, “the collection has been more keenly focused on contemporary literature and as a result circulation has increased dramatically.”