The Boyle County Public Library (BCPL) is a vibrant hub of information and activity for the Danville-Boyle County community. The library offers numerous services, programs, and online resources, and has a vast collection of digital and physical materials.

BCPL continues to evolve to better meet the needs of the community. Earlier this year it was determined that having an assistant library director on staff would be beneficial for the oversight of daily library operations. In early September Colleen Hall was hired to fill that role.

Hall brings to BCPL a broad level of experience in library services. She has served as the Outreach Services manager in the St. Louis Public Library system in Missouri, and has been in service to children and teens, either in a school library setting or as a Children’s Librarian for many years. 

Most recently, Hall has served as the Director of Community Engagement at Lexington Public Library.

“We couldn’t be more happy to have Colleen join the Boyle County Public Library staff,” said Library Director Georgia de Araujo. “Adding an Assistant Director position is a natural next step as the library’s services have expanded and the volume of day-to-day activity has grown. Colleen’s training and experience in so many areas — community engagement, programing, outreach, and youth services — are an indication of her commitment to the services libraries provide and their value to communities.” 

Hall grew up in a family of avid readers in a small town in New England right across the street from the library. “I was there almost every day and yet never thought about becoming a librarian,” said Hall. 

After college she lived and worked as a teacher in Japan for two years. Upon her return to the US, she thought she would become a teacher and signed up to volunteer at a local elementary school to get a better feel for the work. “I was assigned to the school library and the magic of connecting kids with books enthralled me. I went on to library school and never looked back,” said Hall.  She has worked in libraries ever since.

When asked what she loves about libraries, Hall said that libraries literally change lives. “I cannot think of another institution that so fully engages with the community and makes such a bold invitation. You can dream, explore, research, play, experiment, be quiet, be loud, be lazy, or be industrious. On top of that, we offer programs and services to help people feed their curiosity or satisfy a need. The space itself is a refuge and launch pad where all members of the community are welcome. I think a library is an example of democracy at its best,” said Hall

Prior to joining the BCPL staff, Hall served in various capacities at libraries in Kentucky and Missouri. “I was privileged to work in Children’s Services in Jessamine County for 10 years. It was an amazing experience to be there during a period of rapid growth for the county,” said Hall. 

She then moved to St. Louis and served as the Outreach Services Manager. “That job provided me with some real growing experiences keeping track of multiple bookmobiles, schools, seniors, homebound and preschool programs.” Hall feels fortunate to have most recently worked as the Director of Community Engagement at Lexington Public Library. “I believe the focus on building relationships in the community prepared me well to be at BCPL,” said Hall. “I am looking forward to learning more about Danville and Boyle County. I lived in Mercer County for five years when my daughter was young.  So many things have changed and I’m eager to learn more about what is new!”

Hall says she is excited to be working at BCPL for many reasons. “It is a vibrant library, well beloved by the community. It has a vaunted reputation among libraries in the Bluegrass. I am honored to be here to learn about the ways in which the library is woven into the community and imagine how that relationship can continue and grow in the future.” 

She went on to say that so many things are different during this time of COVID. “I think the library has the chance to listen in a new way to the needs of the community and imagine how service will grow and expand.”

The library is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. In addition, the library offers free WiFi which is available in the library parking lot 24/7. More information about the library can be found at www.BoylePubLib.org or by calling (859) 238-7323.

The Boyle County Public Library serves the city of Danville and the surrounding communities, and is actively committed to enriching the lives of its patrons. The library is located at 307 West Broadway in Danville.