KENT, Conn.—A happy crowd of patrons and friends of Kent Memorial Library director Sarah Marshall met in its temporary home on Landmark Lane Sept. 23, marking Marshall’s 20th year with one of the town’s favorite institutions.
Guests included library association board members, patrons and friends of Marshall, who has served as director for eight years of her 20 years at the library. Before that, she worked in the children’s room for 11 years.
During the party, all ages of the library community snacked, ate cake and chatted. Remarks were offered by library board president Sandy Edelman, former president Ken Cooper and adult program director and special events director Jessica Landau, but other friends had plenty to say, too.
“She’s honest, she’s incredibly welcoming, and she builds community,” said resident Abigail Smith-Hanby. “She helps people feel that they’re part of the Kent community. And she gets things done. She’s accomplished a lot during her time here.”
“We play pickleball together,” said Jenny Hornecker, a stylist at the Kent Hair Studio, adding that pickleball pals had purchased a new paddle for Marshall for her anniversary gift. “She’s great. We love her.”
“I came from other libraries that weren’t as welcoming,” said BJ Magik, a member and volunteer. “I love working the book sale. I belong to four book clubs. So much is provided here, which is unusual for a small library. There’s lots of things to do.”
Amy Voorhees, who attended the gathering with her dog, Sam, runs the private Kent School library, and said she and Marshall raised their children together.
“We’ve known each other since 2005,” said Voorhees. “Our children attended Kent Center School, but before that they went to Kent Community Nursery School, and that’s where we first met. Sarah is one of the most persuasive people I know.
“She was helping to fundraise, and she got me involved, too,” she continued. “I had all the excuses, I didn’t have the time, but I did. I became a fundraiser for KCNS. We have a professional and personal interest in reading, community building and fun. She’s positive and energetic and she knits people together.”
A former teacher at the Marvelwood School, Marshall said she found the library job after her children started school. The schedule fit her younger daughter’s kindergarten days and times, and she was able to take her to work if necessary.
“I taught grades 9-12 at Marvelwood from 1993 to 2000, and then I ran the summer school program for five years, with middle and high school students,” she said. “My husband shared childcare duties.”
After that, she found the job at the library and happily led the children’s room for 11 years. What happened during that time, she said, was a deepening of her community roots, a growing love for the library, and the drive to help it move forward.
When director Donna Miller retired in 2018, she told Marshall to apply for the job. The Marshal and her husband Glenn Sanchez were preparing to send their children to college, and needed to earn more money, she said with a laugh. That meant finding a full-time job.
“I’m not a librarian,” Marshall remembered. “But this opportunity landed in my lap. I brought my teaching experience with me, along with business experience, fundraising … I run the library business, and I hire librarians to do the library work. We have a wonderful team here.”
Her biggest challenge, to date, has been spearheading the plan to build a new library connecting the old firehouse building to the venerable library, built as a memorial to World War I veterans. The library broke ground for the project in April, and the project is expected to be completed in summer 2027, said Marshall.
“It takes a long time to do a project like this, from the ground up,” she said. “In 2019, we developed a new strategic plan, and realized we needed to do some major fundraising, and work on our income streams. We get a gift from the town, and the rest of our budget, two-thirds of it, is on us.
“So, we have to fundraise,” she said. “When we asked our donors what they wanted, overwhelmingly, people asked us about the firehouse. There was a concerted effort between 2006 and 2008 to develop it, but the recession in 2008 tabled the idea for 13 years.”
Then, the library board started to work on the expansion plan again, with studies, public meetings and lots of public input. The library hired Chester-based Wyeth Architects to begin redesigning the firehouse building, while an energetic fundraising campaign continued.
The library association received a state grant for $2 million and is responsible for raising the remaining $7.4 million for the new library. The fundraising motto, Marshall said, is “More space for more people.”
The construction is now underway for the new, 11,000-square-foot library, she said.
“The framing is done, but the inside’s not done,” she said. “We are awaiting windows and doors, and then we can seal up the building. This is a very environmentally conscious project; it’s top notch. The roof will have solar; we are having heat pumps installed.”
Throughout the process, the library community continues to support the library, in a way that will sustain it well into the future.
“The most important factor in this project are the relationships with our donors,” Marshall said. “I feel confident in saying that through this process, our board has earned its stripes in raising money. They’ve worked very hard to deliver what the public wants, and to support the staff. They live here, and when it was time to ask for money, they made it happen.”
If an agency like a library doesn’t have a strong presence in a town, it’s not well-supported, she said.
That’s not the case in Kent. Donations for the library have not wavered and come from people who use the building.
“Obviously, Kent has some very deep pockets,” she said. “But the majority of the donations came from people who use the library every day. It wasn’t just some grand gesture; it means a lot to them. They want the library to succeed.”
“This project never would have gone so smoothly, had Sarah not been involved,” Voorhees said. “She has kept the library running. She has a vision for the many roles a library has in a community, in a small town.
Sandy Edelman also reminded party guests that Marshall has done the work of many individuals, and reports to every committee involved in the building project.
“Sarah’s had to handle the entire project. She was the energy that kept the engine running. She also was present during the pandemic, and she didn’t panic,” Edelman said, referring to Marshall’s presence as director. “She really handled it like a pro. She put other corporate leaders (during that time) to shame.”
While members of the library excitedly anticipate becoming patrons of the new building, the temporary home on Landmark Lane is a busy place. Marshall uses the same philosophy she’s fostered since she started in the children’s room: make it a welcoming place.
“I was a teacher for a long time, and what I know is that when you’re happy to see someone, and treat them like a welcomed guest, they’ll come back,” she said. “Back when I was training as a teacher, my mentor told me, ‘Ya gotta hug ‘em, and ya gotta feed ‘em.’ I think that’s true. The library has a homey, welcoming vibe.”
To learn more about the Kent Memorial Library, visit www.kentmemoriallibrary.org/
