Retiring McLeod brought warmth, laughs, accessibility, programming & progress to Nevins

Longtime Nevins Library Director Krista McLeod – a fierce advocate of making books and resources accessible to all and who oversaw the library’s modernization – retires in February.

Several years ago, during the spring, Tenney Grammar School educator Mary Beth Donovan-Grassi wondered how its seventh- and eighth-graders would connect with each other, books and summer reading over the upcoming long summer vacation.
She spoke about it with Nevins Memorial Library Director Krista McLeod. McLeod, she recalled, suggested forming a Friday morning book club for them.
“I could not believe she was offering up space in the library which is really hard to get,” said Donovan-Grassi, a former supervising principal and eighth-grade English Language Arts teacher. “She offered staff and resources.”
The program ran for several years. Adults spoke with kids about books, and there was always an activity related to a book for them to do – such as craft making or a building challenge. One day, the group made miniature rockets.
“It was so much fun and I was so happy because we were able to stop the summer slide for some kids, encouraged them to read, introduced them to the library,” Donovan-Grassi said. “It was so wonderful to have Krista and her staff so vested in the kids at the Tenney.”
McLeod, who has received a lot of praise for building and promoting strong connections between the library and the community, plans to retire Feb. 13, shortly before she turns 70.
When she started her job in the fall of 1992, the staff was typing catalog cards, and there was no elevator or handicapped access. Over the years, computers came into use, an expansion took place – a new wing opened in 2002, relieving overcrowding – and the way patrons were served changed and evolved.
There were other challenges, too – the staff had to determine how best serve patrons during the COVID pandemic and in 2019 the air-conditioning system overflowed.
“Every year (had) its own changes and challenges,” McLeod recalled. “It’s always been a priority of mine to make sure that the library was at the center of civic life, and serve the community as a place where everybody can come and (borrow) books.”
The time is right for her to step aside, she said. She will be succeeded by Sarah Sullivan, the library’s assistant director. Sullivan has worked in various roles at the library over 14 years, and has served in the No. 2 position since 2002.
“I feel it’s time, very good about it. I feel very settled about it,” McLeod said. “I feel it’s time for the next generation. They have some great ideas and some strengths I don’t have any more. I will miss it.”
McLeod, who lives in Methuen, said she intends to remain active in the community. She is the senior warden at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and will continue her support of the Methuen Literacy Partnership, an initiative between the city and the library to improve early childhood literacy and close reading gaps. She also serves as chair of Massachusetts Center for the Book, an organization whose mission includes fostering literacy and learning.
“I feel very privileged that I was able to work here for 34 years, and how tied I feel to this community, how grateful I am to this community,” McLeod said. “I feel very grateful how this community has embraced the library and me and my family.”
Incoming Director Sullivan feels gratitude for all McLeod has given both here at home and across the region, where librarians hold McLeod in high regard: “She has been such an incredible mentor for me these past few years; and I know she has been so influential to countless other librarians throughout New England. She has always been a generous leader, giving so much of her time and of herself in service to the library and the city of Methuen.”
Donovan-Grassi, who along with state Rep. Ryan Hamilton serves on the MLP’s steering committee, has known McLeod since around the time she started her job.

Assistant Library Director Sarah Sullivan, who has served Nevins in various capacities over 14 years, has been selected by the Trustees as McLeod’s successor.

“Krista is very inquisitive. She loves history. I think it forms her view of the world,” said Donovan-Grassi, a School Committee member and outgoing library Board of Trustees elected official. “She could be a standup comic or a talk-show host. She’s one of the funniest people I’ve met. And she’s probably one of the best people to have a conversation with because she’s so interested in the world around her and the people around her. She always draws people out to learn more about them.”
Donovan-Grassi recalls how McLeod wore a hard hat during the library expansion’s construction. The hat was decorated with book stickers, McLeod said, and she was taught how to use a bulldozer to knock off the roof of a small nearby house as part of the construction project.
“When you think of a librarian, you think of someone sitting behind a desk, checking out books. Not Krista – bigger than life, great laugh,” Donovan-Grassi said. “She knows everybody. She’s just all encompassing. She draws you into her circle, introduces you to other people, makes you think.”
The library has several book clubs and McLeod runs two of them, including one on Thursday nights.
Ellen Paine, who works in circulation, assists her for the Thursday night gatherings. Paine started attending club meetings in 2001, before she joined the staff, because her mother and sister told her they enjoyed attending.
“I find she runs a great book group. People are welcome to come. Whether you liked the book or hated the book, we always have a good discussion,” Paine said. “I think she makes people feel free to share their opinions and insights. She asks great questions. She knows a lot of history, and sometimes has a lot of additional background information about the author we’re reading, the book we’re reading. She brings a real depth to running a book group.”
Paine said she considers McLeod to be a highly skilled administrator, very knowledgeable and welcoming to staff, patrons and the public.
“She has a great sense of humor, has a lot of warmth. A very genuine person with a lot of love for reading and books and literature. (She) wanted everyone to feel welcome at the library, even beyond Methuen. She’s always trying to see what needs to be done (to make) this the best place it can be.”
Another person who speaks highly of McLeod’s commitment to the community is Linda Soucy, founder of Methuen Arlington Neighborhood Inc., which works to resolve challenges faced by its residents. She said that MAN has been working with the library for more than 25 years. Children have taken field trips to the library, and a staffer has come to the neighborhood to bring books, promote summer reading, and engage kids in arts and crafts.
“They improve our access to educational resources for families,” Soucy said of Nevins. “We’ve been able to get kids to get their library cards. We have a full satellite library at MAN Inc., that has all the books and reference (books) that the kids need. We update those on a regular basis. We purchase all the books. They help us decide which are the best books for the kids.”
“I’ve known Krista for years now and I consider her a trusted friend. She’s really a nice lady and she really cares about our community,” she added.
The library – which opened in 1883 – is a private, non-profit organization (501(c)(3)) governed by a Board of Trustees.
Ralph Prolman, current board chairman, said the group gives McLeod a free hand in running the library and believes that’s been a factor in her longevity in the position.
“I think she’s been here 34 years because we don’t tell her what to do at all,” he said.
Prolman was on the board when McLeod was hired. He said she had a very good recommendation from someone on the state library board and the right education, background and knowledge to suit their needs.

McLeod visits third-graders at the Read Across America celebration at the Tenney Grammar School in March 2010. ML file photo

“Back when we hired her 34 years ago, in my total honesty, the Nevins Library was a dump, it was a wreck. It was a great 18th-century library in the 20th century,” he said. “We hired Krista to run a library that none of us knew anything about. We weren’t librarians. We were people who were on a trust trying to keep an existing facility going along that had very little money and not a lot of love from the city back then. She helped bring us forward and worked with people in the city, the various mayors, over the course of time.”
He credits former Mayor Dennis DiZoglio for recognizing that the library needed upgrades and improvements, and providing the money for a Request for Proposals (RFP) for architectural services for the addition.
“Obviously we’ve come a long, long way from being, in my words, a dump to being a very highly respected institution that people take great pride and apparently seem to love,” said Prolman, who added that people are happy with the library’s programs. “We have something for everyone.”
Mayor D.J. Beauregard, a supporter of the Methuen Literacy Partnership, recently issued a statement to MethuenLife, in praise of McLeod’s leadership.
“Krista McLeod is leaving a lasting mark on the Nevins Library and the City of Methuen. Under her leadership of the best library in the Commonwealth, she has worked tirelessly to promote community literacy efforts and open the library’s doors to wonderful events like the annual naturalization ceremony for new U.S. citizens,” he wrote. “I’m personally grateful for Krista’s patience and good humor over the years – especially when it came to a certain mayor’s occasionally overdue library books. Her positive impact will be felt for many years, and wish her a happy and well-deserved retirement.”

NEVINS NEVER STOPS!
In addition to its massive collection of books, magazines, audio CDs and DVDs, Nevins Memorial Library offers book clubs (currently 7!); specialized programming for all ages starting with newborns, author visits, computer access and classes, teen gaming and movie clubs, adult literacy, Library of Things for borrowing, and so much more. The library’s Check It Out column runs monthly in MethuenLife. For more info, visit nevinslibrary.org or stop into the historic library at 305 Broadway.