FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Madison Ogle, Head of Community Engagement
Phone: (785) 320-5376 | Email: pr@mhklibrary.org
MANHATTAN PUBLIC LIBRARY NAMES NEW DIRECTOR
MANHATTAN, KS – The Manhattan Public Library Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that Eric Norris has been named as its new MPL/NCKLS Library Director. He’ll succeed current Library Director, Linda Knupp, who will retire at the end of the year.
A native Kansan, Norris has extensive library experience and is currently the librarian for the State of Kansas and has worked there since April of 2018. Before that, he was the director at Hays Public Library for six years. Norris received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas, a master’s degree from Fort Hays State University, and a master’s degree in library science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
“I am thrilled at the opportunity to join the team at the Manhattan Public Library. Manhattan is a growing and dynamic community that knows the value of its public library and I look forward to meeting people, making connections, and helping to create opportunities for growth. It is an exciting time for libraries as we explore ways to advance educational, informational, and recreational services throughout the Manhattan and the NCKLS area,” Norris said.
To assist in conducting a director search, the Library Board of Trustees invited a number of library staff, board members, and library supporters to participate in the selection process.
“Through all the shutdowns, jarring changes, and social upheaval of the past year, I believe that libraries are evolving well beyond the idea as simply a place to gather, and that public libraries are in the perfect position to adapt and evolve into what ‘new realities’ lie ahead,” Norris added.
Norris will begin his duties in late December. Knupp will retire at the end of December after 20 years of service.
Manhattan Public Library is located at 629 Poyntz Avenue in Manhattan, Kansas, (785) 776-4741.
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