Monday, June 28, 1999
Library branch renamed after retiring director
BY SUSAN VELA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON — The retiring Kenton County Public Library director learned Sunday that her decades of dedication, patience and hard work would be recognized by having the Covington branch renamed after her.
A look of surprise swept across Mary Ann Mongan's face when she learned that she would be walking into the Mary Ann Mongan Library as of today.
“I'm absolutely and positively amazed,” said Miss Mongan, speaking at a reception that she knew was being held in her honor but not to rename the Covington branch.
“I obviously never expected all this and I don't know what to say about it,” she said. “It's been a really great 41 years. I enjoyed every moment of it, and I thank all of you for making it possible.”
About 90 people, including county and city commissioners and past and present library trustees, were on hand to give Miss Mongan a standing ovation after Kenton County Public Library Trustee Richard Gibeau announced that the Covington branch would be renamed after Miss Mongan.
“She has been the guiding influence and voice of experience,” he said, commending the retiring director for her patience and ability to work with different personalities while still helping the library system, which includes branches in Independence and Erlanger, become one of the most successful in the state.
The Erlanger branch has the highest circulation in Kentucky, at about 700,000 books a year. The district is ranked in the nation's top 15 percent for those libraries of at least 100,000 patrons.
Before Miss Mongan learned that the Covington branch would be renamed after her, she received several framed plaques and certificates in honor of her work over the years including words of commendation from President Clinton and Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton.
There also were proclamations from the Kenton County Fiscal Court and Covington City Commission, which have declared Wednesday — Miss Mongan's last day — as Mary Ann Mongan Day.
Associate Director Wayne Onkst will replace Miss Mongan. He has worked with her for 20 years.
He noted that during her entire 41-year tenure, there have been 11 governors in Kentucky, nine presidents in the United States and six Kenton County judge-executives.
“But there's only been one director of the Kenton County libraries,” he said at the reception. “Truly, it's a remarkable career that we're celebrating tonight.”
Miss Mongan was hired as head librarian of the Covington Public Library in March 1958. She was making $5,000 a year and directing a library that had an annual budget of about $66,650. The library then checked out about 95,123 books a year.
In the mid-1960s, Miss Mongan led a petition drive to create a county library district and became the district's first and only director once it was created in 1967.
Since then, she has seen the construction of the Covington, Erlanger and Independence branches. The library system now has an annual budget of about $4.5 million.
Miss Mongan of Hyde Park is looking forward to retirement and having the time to pick up reading as a hobby again.
But the library director who has often spent time helping library patrons at the reference desk knows that she'll miss the library and its employees, too.
All locations of the Kenton County Public Library will be closed 1-5 p.m. Wednesday so that employees can honor Miss Mongan's retirement.
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