A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

NKU Alum Kim Fender reflects on her long career and retirement as head of Cinci, Hamilton County libraries


By Rodney Wilson
NKU Alumni Magazine

Kim Fender (‘81) didn’t let any grass grow beneath her feet when she studied at Northern Kentucky University — and not just because she was always digging through the norms and values of societies as an anthropology major.

“I was in a hurry to get through because I was working three jobs to pay my way through college,” she says. “That’s always a good motivator to get through right away.”

But as she looks back on those years now, from the vantage point of retirement after a long career working in libraries, she sees her student job in the W. Frank Steely Library as an undeniably formative experience — though she puts that archeology degree to work for her, too.

“Actually, anthropology is a pretty useful degree for understanding how people work as groups, and you gain some good observation skills,” Fender explains. “They use anthropologists a lot of times in processing things to find out the best flow for projects. That’s been helpful for looking at our kind of work and seeing how we can make the process smoother and easier, and eliminate unnecessary steps.

“But I did what every anthropology major does — go to grad school.”

After securing a master’s in library sciences from the University of Kentucky, Fender worked as a librarian at Xavier University and the Boone and Campbell County public libraries. She interned at the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, then worked at a corporate library for ATE Management Services Co. before joining the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County’s Institutions/Books by Mail/Bookmobile department (now Outreach Services) in 1988, helping the library reach people who can’t use their services in a traditional way.

“When you go into a retirement community and people are like, ‘Oh, it’s the library people! It’s library day!’” she says, “and they’re just so excited to see you, and you’re meeting people who can’t use your services in any other way — it was a lot of fun. It’s a very busy department. It does more work than any of our branches in terms of circulation, even today.”

She was named director of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County in 1999, and for almost two decades helped the institution grow, from installing internet access to putting the catalog online to expanding to offer e-books. She cites the Main Library’s MakerSpace, located on the second floor, as a personal point of pride. “I love technology and gadgets,” she says.

“As soon as I saw the iPhone, I was like, I have to have one immediately. And now I have an iPad and a Surface and use them interchangeably.”

Fender also oversaw a number of initiatives meant to preserve the library’s outreach in times of declining state support, including 2018’s successful tax levy bid.

The increased income will bring in an extra $54 million to fund an ambitious facilities plan, which includes installing handicap accessibility and implementation of a “mobile model” that will see tablet-toting staff members move from behind the desks to interact with patrons on the library floor.
 
Now, though, directing library operations is somebody else’s concern. Paula Brehm-Heeger [‘16] is serving as interim director during the search.

When the levy issue passed, she announced her retirement from the institution. But don’t expect her to move to move to a seaside Florida bungalow, as she’s already looking to fill her free time with work that betters Greater Cincinnati — and that definitely involves the Northern Kentucky region.

“I do live in Northern Kentucky, and I see it really as a whole region,” she says. “I know a lot of people see that river as really wide, but I cross it twice a day every day. Certainly what happens in Cincinnati affects Northern Kentucky and the reverse is true as well, so if we can improve the community on one side of the river, it helps both sides.” 

This story first appeared in the NKU Alumni Magazine. 


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