New director for Kennett Library

The Kennett Library has a new director who is no stranger to library construction projects like the one Kennett has started.

Christopher Manna begins Nov. 22, around the time that major site work on the new library building is set to begin. Kennett’s library construction will be the fourth he has been involved in over the last six years.

“I love seeing the impact on the community,” Manna said in a telephone interview. “Libraries play an important role in the community, and all across the field of librarianship we work to partner to raise the quality of life for everyone in our communities.”

Christopher Manna will assume his role as director of the Kennett Library on Nov. 22.

For Manna, whose background includes library consulting, experience at academic libraries, and most recently leading the Moore Public Library in Oklahoma, sees community as an integral part of any library – especially one that is enhancing its role for the communities it serves.

The new $20 million, 33,000-plus square foot library and resource center in Kennett Borough is expected to open in late 2022 or early 2023. It will feature, among other things, a 110-seat auditorium, public meeting spaces, and maker spaces for children and adults.

“What they’re trying to achieve and what they will achieve are beneficial,” said Manna, whose interest in the Kennett Library position was piqued in part by the plans for the new resource center, and the current adult literacy and citizenship programs. Those programs represent “such a value to the community and everyone around it.”

The Kennett Library serves the borough of Kennett Square and the townships of East Marlborough, Kennett, New Garden, Newlin, Pennsbury, Pocopson, and West Marlborough.

The library board of trustees interviewed five candidates from the 12 resumes they received from a nationwide search. Manna made a definite impression on the trustees, according to board President Jeff Yetter.

“We feel he is a perfect fit for the Kennett Library,” Yetter said. “He comes with years of experience in a variety of library settings and has been a part of several library building projects.

“We are looking to him to help us build the kind of library our community deserves.”

Manna also brings with him endowment experience, which could help enhance the library’s role in the community for the future. He served on the endowment committee of the Oklahoma Library Association.

The library has raised $14 million of the total building cost to date, according to Yetter.

Libraries have always been a part of Manna’s life, though music plays an equally important role. His mother was a librarian, and as he grew up he saw the impact that libraries could have. But he never imagined he would follow her footsteps.

Manna is an operatic tenor, with bachelor's degrees from the University of Maryland in vocal performance and jazz trumpet, and a master’s degree in opera performance from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. His performing arts career includes international opera performances.

But working at a library during college also set him on the bibliosoph path. He spent the first 13 years of that career at libraries at Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland and will receive a master’s degree in library and information science degree in May 2022 from the University of Oklahoma.

When he began consulting, he saw first-hand the successes and challenges facing libraries.

“Eight libraries a week, 50 weeks a year, meeting with staff and community leaders, talking about what library services look like, where there were gaps, and where were things that could be improved upon,” he said. “Through all these experiences of visiting hundreds of libraries, I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t work.”

His successes in Oklahoma come from not having all the answers, Manna said and reaching out to those who do.

“I hope everyone engages in this process,” Manna said in an interview about the new Kennett Library. “This is a community building, and the community is helping to build this. I would love to incorporate how it’s really going to be used.”

He also envisions partnering with the school districts to support STEM programs with the new library’s resources, among other things, and creating a place where people can turn to find the resources they need.

In Oklahoma, Manna engaged with the community through more than just his roles with the Pioneer Library System, which includes the Moore library. He also coached youth soccer and basketball.

“It’s great fun,” said Manna, who was involved in sports his entire life and has coached his son Alex’s teams for about eight years. “It’s an opportunity for me to meet the parents, and to build those connections for him. He’s also seeing the value of giving back to the community.”

Creating community partnerships is something Yetter sees as a natural fit for both Manna and the Kennett Library.

“Chris is a strong believer in partnering with community organizations, which is why the new Kennett Library and Resource Center is designed the way it is, with 14 meeting rooms and an auditorium,” Yetter said. “The board of trustees was looking for a director to reach out and work to increase the usage of our free library materials and resources to lift up the entire community.”

Manna, his wife Karen, and son Alex will leave Oklahoma on Nov. 13 for the East Coast.

“I’ve already told him as soon as we get here, we’re signing up for basketball,” Manna said.

About Monica Fragale

Monica Thompson Fragale is a freelance reporter who spent her life dreaming of being in the newspaper business. That dream came true after college when she started working at The Kennett Paper and, years later The Reporter newspaper in Lansdale and other dailies. She turned to non-profit work after her first daughter was born and spent the next 13 years in that field. But while you can take the girl out of journalism, you can’t take journalism out of the girl. Offers to freelance sparked the writing bug again started her fingers happily tapping away on the keyboard. Monica lives with her husband and two children in Kennett Square.

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