New Canaan Library Appoints Kimberly McNally as CEO and President
New Canaan, Conn., [January 4, 2024] -- New Canaan Library is extremely pleased to announce the appointment of Kimberly McNally as its new CEO and President, effective February 1st.
Ms. McNally joins the Library from the Berlin Peck Memorial Library in Berlin CT where she has been its Director since 2021. Ms. McNally brings to New Canaan more than a decade of experience managing both large and small public libraries across the country.
“A library is the center of the community and a place for growth and connection for everyone. The New Canaan Library, with its thoughtfully designed building and dynamic resources, is leading the way for how libraries in Connecticut and around the country can support their communities in new and exciting ways. I am honored to be joining this library and I look forward to getting to know the community, staff, and stakeholders and building our future together,” said Ms. McNally.
Kimberly McNally will succeed Lisa Oldham who announced her retirement after a ten-year career in New Canaan during which time she successfully restructured the operations and services of the Library and led the efforts to build the new Library building.
A current resident of Wethersfield, CT, Ms. McNally’s career in library management began in Vancouver, Washington as Branch Manager for three library branches serving over 30,000 residents. She relocated to Connecticut in 2018 and joined the Durham Public Library as Assistant Library Director where she provided policy direction on customer service and reference and was active in organizing community lectures on a variety of topics.
Since June 2021, Ms. McNally has led a staff of 22 at the Berlin Peck Memorial Library and has had experience working closely with its Library Board, local government officials and town department heads. Since 2019, she has been a Board Member of the Connecticut Library Consortium and served as Board President from July 2022 to June 2023. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Florida State University. and a master's degree in library and information science from the University of South Florida. Prior to her career in libraries, Ms. McNally worked for four years in commercial real estate in Florida for Colliers International and Starbucks Coffee Company.
“Throughout this recruitment process, the Board has worked hard to identify a candidate whose passion for libraries and their vital role in communities was evident,” noted Bob Butman, Chairman of the New Canaan Library Board of Trustees. “With Kim’s appointment, we feel we have found the right person to guide our excellent team toward the great future this new building promises our community,” said Butman.
New Canaan Library has been the community's intellectual and cultural center for more than a century. Today, the Library continues to be the community’s core resource for learning and innovation, with an emphasis on transformational knowledge, instruction, and connections.