The Transformational Library || Kathy Weber’s Story
- Lynn Malooly
- Sep 30
- 4 min read
How a Penfield childhood book lover grew into a patron, board member, and former president of both the Penfield Public Library Board and the Penfield Public Library Foundation Board.
When Kathy was five years old, she would drag her hand along the plastered stone walls of the old Town Hall cellar entrance as she descended the stairs into the Penfield Free Library. Those gray-painted walls and cement steps with their pipe handrail, and the tiny space below the old Town Hall would help shape her love of reading, imagination, and inquiry.
The Early Years: A Library Hero Named Ruth Braman
As a child, Kathy and her mother made weekly trips to the library. Later, she and her friends biked. In those early days, the library occupied just a single room, with book-packed floor-to-ceiling shelves. Ruth Braman, the library director, and an assistant were the only staff. It was Mrs. Braman who would become Kathy's "library hero" when she defended her right to read books from the adult shelves as an 11-year-old despite protests from the assistant.
Penfield’s first Library Director is honored today in the Penfield Public Library “Braman Room” which now hosts everything from the annual Summer Reading Game to musical performances, library programs, and community meetings. Look for her picture there!
Books as Windows to the World
By middle school, Kathy was reading a book a day during summers, often tackling 400-800 page novels. Her parents considered reading and practicing musical instruments the most sacred indoor activities a child could pursue—a convenient arrangement when chores needed to be avoided.
"Books are a wonderful window on the world and a great way to look through the eyes of others who are in situations you may never experience in life," Kathy reflects. The library supported her voracious reading and helped develop the literacy skills and background that would prove foundational for her education and teaching career.
Libraries also served as research resources during teen years. When a friend experienced serious mental health challenges, Kathy turned to the Rundel Library for information. Kathy also gratefully remembers receiving access to both the University of Rochester Medical Library and the Eastman School Sibley Music Library as a high school student to follow topics of interest.
From Patron to Library Board Member to Library Foundation: Giving Back
After college, Kathy became an English teacher. She joined the library's board of trustees in 1999 when both her sons were in college, serving for 20 years.
At the beginning of her tenure, the Library Board of Trustees helped oversee a major renovation that transformed the library into a beautiful, functional library space.
Kathy played a crucial role in establishing the Penfield Public Library Foundation, an independent non-profit that benefits the library. With the Library Board’s approval, Kathy Weber, Lynn Malooly, Barbara Power, and Eliza Coyle served on a Board committee that worked with an attorney to complete all the state and federal documentation required to set up the Penfield Public Library Foundation as a corporation and a non-profit 501 (c)(3). That took a year and a half! Kathy remembers that “At our last library board meeting of 2019, board member Chris Fluit opened his billfold and gave the Foundation the entire contents—our first donation! Dreams, preparation, and hard work became real in that moment!”
Unlike most MCLS libraries that have foundations, PPLF did not start with a big bequest, but at zero. The Gift and Memorial Fund of the Penfield Library paid the attorney’s legal fees, and the PPL Foundation opened for business on December 31, 2019.
Kathy feels that "The Foundation really can provide a lot of hope and support as it grows over time, helping us make our community library the best it can be."
A Lifelong Book Club and Continuous Learning
Kathy's connection to reading extends beyond the library walls through her book club, in which some members have been together for 40 years. The group, including a number of English and English as a Second Language teachers, has spent years exploring many different topics related to their teaching and individual interests. "We probably spent three years reading African authors and history, then another three years reading literature from and about the Middle East,” Kathy notes. “Other readings have focused on the conclusion of World War I, the confluence of Muslim, Jewish and Christian scholarship in medieval Spain, the abolition of slavery, and South American history and magical realism, as well as many other topics.” Libraries support both individual growth and community learning initiatives.
The Library's Evolution: Meeting Changing Needs
Kathy has experienced the library's transformation from a tiny, books-only lending library to a comprehensive community resource, not only for books, but for music, films, apps available on various devices, and in-person programs. During the early days of personal computers, the library provided crucial access to technology and training in using it.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the library adapted quickly, offering curbside service and virtual programming. "The library shifts its emphasis to help people with whatever it is they're dealing with in the moment," Kathy observes. "It's a chameleon that meets needs as they surface."
Looking Forward: Freedom to Read, View, Listen, and Participate
As Kathy reflects on the library's future, her hopes center on two fundamental principles: freedom and funding. She wants libraries to maintain their freedom to provide access to materials without censorship, ensuring that "everybody can find the book, movie, program, or information that interests them, while respecting others’ rights to do the same.”
"I would like to see the Penfield Public Library continue as a bastion of freedom," she says. "And I would like to keep it well-funded so that there's a broad spectrum of materials and programming available to every patron. Then, everyone can find answers to their questions, experience people and places they may never see in person, and find whatever they’re looking for—and maybe more!”
Kathy's story illustrates how the public library serves as a launching pad for lifelong learning, a resource during difficult times, a place for community-building, and ultimately, a cornerstone of democracy where knowledge and freedom flourish together.
The Penfield Public Library continues to serve patrons of all ages, offering books, digital resources, programming, and community spaces. To learn more about library services, visit during regular hours or check out the PPL website at penfieldlibrary.org