CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Longtime Kanawha County Public Library Director Alan Engelbert plans to retire this summer.
Engelbert made the announcement Monday that he will retire on July 31.
“I have greatly enjoyed my time at the library and in West Virginia and I have nothing but fond memories of more than a decade as director at Kanawha County Public Library,” Engelbert said in a news release. “That so much has been accomplished over the years is a tribute to the commitment of the staff, board and volunteers who make KCPL the excellent library that it is, and it is because of them the future of the library is very bright.”
Engelbert has served as the library’s director since 2007.
Monika Jaensson, president of the library’s board of directors, said in a statement Engelbert left an incredible mark on the Kanawha County Public Library system.
“He has been a guiding force in many accomplishments at KCPL, including the opening of a new library in Elk Valley at the Crossings Mall, the addition of downloadable materials through WVDeli and improving technology at all locations,” Jaensson said. “He has also responded to numerous challenges such as the loss of funding from the Board of Education, the levy campaigns, flooding in Clendenin and Elkview and planning the Reimagined Main Library.”
The Kanawha County Public Library is the largest library system in West Virginia with a Main Library in Charleston, nine branches and a mobile library.