During last week’s conference of the Idaho Library Association, recently retired Oneida County Library director Kathy Kent was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award during the closing evening banquet.  Kathy joined three other Lifetime Achievement recipients, which constituted the first class of the newly created award.

Kathy was joined by her family, as well as recent Trustee of the Year Award winner Lois Willie, and Board member Tracy Ward.

Tracy Ward introduced Kathy prior to her award, by stating “My dear friend Kathy deserves this award so much.  She started at the library in high school, and has worked at the library since high school.  She has turned our library in Malad, Idaho into an amazing resource for all ages in our community.  She services mothers that are having new babies.  She services the preschool storytime.  She does our teen STEM work, and her daughter now works with us there in the library.  She has treated the board fantastically.  She does outreach to all the schools in Malad.  She’s done classes for adults, she’s got reading clubs—I took an art class at the library!  I’m learning to watercolor after I retire.

There’s just something for everybody.  There is no reason to be bored in Malad, Idaho—just come to the library!  Kathy is also the master at writing grants, as I’m sure some of you know.  And because of that, the resources are fantastic.  I love Kathy, and she’s just made our library a gem in Malad.  So thank you, Kathy.”

Kathy Kent then took the podium.  “Where do you start?  Our library was in the basement of the courthouse—a creepy place—and I first discovered it when I was in first grade.  I’d ride my bike there and hide out in the corner where Dr. Suess was.  No chairs, so I’d just sit on the cold tile and read my heart out.  

When I was a freshman in High School, I pestered the librarian until she finally gave me a job out of desperation, and I loved it.  I took a brief hiatus to go to school and get married and have some children.  I came back and I’ve been a trustee.  I put the first computers in and became the IT person and eventually the Director.

Like Tracy was talking about, it takes a village.  You don’t do that by yourself.”  Kent asked Lois Willie to stand up to be recognized.  “Lois has been on my board forever.  She got our wages up, and definitely deserved to be Trustee of the Year a few years ago.”

“I have to say I was probably the biggest thorn in the state librarian’s side.  I bugged them all.  The first conference I ever went to, Stephanie Bailey White was over the children, and she got me so excited to serve the kiddos, and then Stacey Shaw, and Jen.  There are too many to mention, but from the bottom of my heart thank you all for your help.

I need to thank my husband—he helped me up here.  I’m a little klutzy!  But for all the years I’ve been the Director, he has done all the maintenance for free.  And I need to thank my family—they all came up here to support me.  My daughter Laura deJong is the new director of programming, and my daughter Elizabeth is the District Librarian.  And my mom was the elementary librarian for many years, so I guess it runs in our blood.

“Thank you everyone, and like I said it takes a village and I’ve certainly had one from the board to the patrons and to the little kids that now are way taller than me and say ‘Mrs. Kent, Mrs. Kent’—I love it.  Thank you!”