The head of St. Paul's libraries is closing the book on her career.
Katherine "Kit" Hadley has been the system's director since 2009, when she took on the $123,000 position. Hadley held the same post in Minneapolis for five years until 2007.
"Under Kit Hadley's leadership, the library has made it its mission to connect the people of St. Paul with the imperative and the joy of learning through a lifetime," Mayor Chris Coleman said in a statement Wednesday announcing Hadley's retirement. "From her commitment to out-of-school-time learning to ensuring greater access to our libraries to her leadership on equity, I will miss her deeply."
Hadley, 62, in her own statement, said, "I have been privileged to be at the St. Paul Public Library these past six years. The library is an essential foundation for civic life and learning in St. Paul because of the outstanding library staff, the extraordinary Friends [of the St. Paul Public Library], and the strong political and public support for the library."
Hadley's last day on the job will be Oct. 2. The mayor's office said Coleman will announce "interim management decisions" in the coming weeks.
While in her post in Minneapolis, Hadley was involved in merging the city's library system with Hennepin County's. She left the Minneapolis job in 2007, and then sought the St. Paul position after hearing that it was open to non-librarians such as herself.
In between library leadership positions, Hadley led Heading Home Minnesota, an umbrella organization to highlight efforts to fight homelessness. She's also a former commissioner of the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency.
Hadley, who lives in St. Paul, earned a law degree from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor's degree from Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
