Karen Cullings
If you ask Karen Cullings what her favorite part of her job as director of the Dauphin County Library System has been, she might say getting to borrow as many books as she wants.
But she’ll quickly follow that up with a laugh and explain that it’s only a side perk to her real joy—the people.
For over 30 years, Cullings has worked at the library to help give the community access to books and other resources, something she’s benefited from her whole life, as well.
Following years of dedicated work, this month, Cullings will retire as executive director of the library system. And while her time at the helm of the library is coming to a close, her last day is Sept. 30, she’ll likely still be surrounded by books.
“I do have my reading list started for retirement,” she said.
Cullings first started at the library as the adult services librarian in 1992 and later held other positions in communications, fundraising and development work. In 2018, she was appointed as the interim director and then transitioned into the role full-time, overseeing eight library locations.
Shortly after stepping into her role as director, Cullings was thrust into leading the organization through the pandemic, which she described as “really interesting and challenging.” She dug into the history of the library for support, taking notes from the system’s first librarian, Alice Eaton, who had to navigate the 1918 influenza pandemic.
Still, making decisions about closing, opening, masking and everything else that came with COVID wasn’t easy and had Cullings questioning whether was she making the right decisions.
“One woman called the county and asked them to make us reopen,” Cullings said. “She was heartbroken because she so missed coming in and interacting with the staff. She was coming to get books, yes, but she was coming to get connection […] That really painted the picture for me of how important that sort of hidden role is of libraries.”
In her own life, the role of the library has been ever-present. At a young age, Cullings fell in love with going to her local library in Carlisle, her hometown, where she would later volunteer and hold her first job.
“I wanted to read more than my family could afford to buy books. We were five kids and one parent working two jobs,” she said. “My childhood was very positively impacted by a public library and the staff there.”
Her own experience has driven her passion to provide that same positive experience to others. Over the years, she has worked with the staff on initiatives like giving computer-only cards to those without proper ID, who otherwise wouldn’t be able to access library services. Under Cullings’ leadership, in 2022, the library also eliminated overdue library book fines, in hopes of removing a burden from lower-income families.
“It sounds a little Pollyanna to say libraries change lives, but they do. I’ve experienced that, and I want that for anybody who wants to seek it out,” she said. “People need a place where they feel comfortable.”
In 2022, the organization cut the ribbon on the newly renovated McCormick Riverfront Library in Harrisburg, following a yearlong construction project to modernize the space and connect it to the adjacent Haldeman Haly House. The project was a huge undertaking for the library, especially considering that their capital fundraising campaign launched during the pandemic, but Cullings is proud of what the team accomplished.
While Cullings was leading the library system through all of the projects and initiatives of the last several years, she doesn’t take sole credit for them. Her leadership style has always been collaborative.
“We’re all focused on trying to do the same thing, and that’s common ground for us. We can overcome differences that way,” she said. “I think, especially now, that is one of the most effective ways to lead an organization, versus a top-down, autocratic leadership.”
As she heads into retirement, Cullings is hopeful for the future of the Dauphin County libraries, as well as the library nationally. She’s confident that they will continue to serve as places for people to access resources, connection and learning.
“I think libraries can and will step up to take an active role in trying to stabilize some of what’s going on in the nation right now,” she said. “Libraries are something that people from diverse perspectives can rally around and that might engender more conversation and ability to reach compromise. We need to make sure they continue to be the community hub.”
To learn more about the Dauphin County Library System, visit their website.
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