John Chidester’s enduring legacy at the Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County

On Feb. 16, 1976, a 27-year-old librarian walked through the doors of the Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County for his first day as director. Fifty years later, John Chidester is still there; still leading, still reading, and still serving the community with the same steady dedication that has defined his life’s work.

On Wednesday evening, Feb. 18, a celebration was held at the Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County honoring his five decades of service. Mayor Matthew Starr offered a proclamation recognizing Chidester’s 50 years as director. The tribute reflected not only longevity but also impact, an enduring commitment to learning, access, and community connection.

Chidester’s love for libraries began long before Mount Vernon. Born into a family with deep educational roots — his parents met at Heidelberg College (now Heidelberg University); he grew up surrounded by learning. His father, a minister in the Evangelical Reformed Church (now the United Church of Christ), graduated from seminary in 1936. His mother, who graduated from Heidelberg in 1935, taught French for a year in Tuscarawas County. The family’s connection to Heidelberg extended beyond his parents; all of John’s siblings, with the exception of one brother, also attended Heidelberg, further strengthening the family’s longstanding ties to the institution. In 2011, the family’s legacy at Heidelberg was formally recognized with a legacy plaque on Alumni Day.

But it was the Oakley Branch of the Cincinnati Public Library that first captured his imagination. After moving to Cincinnati at three and a half years old, he said he “haunted that place,” going back again and again simply because he loved being there. The branch stood just across Madison Road from his elementary school, two doors down on Gilmore Avenue. He remembers walking there in kindergarten with his class and being fascinated by a mural above the circulation desk, an image that stayed with him for decades.

When he was old enough to go alone, he went constantly. Later, after moving to Kenton, Ohio, where he graduated from Kenton Senior High School in 1966, the library again became a central place in his life. From 1960 to 1966, he spent three to five days a week there, browsing shelves, checking out books, and reading widely. That steady rhythm of curiosity shaped the path ahead.

Chidester earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Heidelberg College in 1970. With the Vietnam War ongoing, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, serving from 1970 to 1972, and continued in the Ohio Air National Guard from 1972 to 1976. He recalls a two-week combat course as the most fun he had, where he learned karate and completed instructor training.

In the summer of 1973, he enrolled in Case Western Reserve University’s highly regarded, 12-month master’s program in Library and Information Science, then ranked among the top five in the country. The program was intense, but he graduated in 1974 and began his career as Adult Services Librarian at the Marion Public Library from 1974 to 1976. On Feb. 16, 1976, he stepped into his first and only director position in Mount Vernon.

His leadership style, he says, was shaped in part by his Air Force training. He describes it not as “military style,” but as organized and collaborative. Over time, he embraced a simple but powerful principle: Hire good people and stay out of their way. Delegation was one of his early challenges, but learning to recognize talent and allow others to excel became central to his approach.

When asked how he defines success as a public library leader, his answer was concise: “I’ve never had a bad board member ever.”

Among his proudest accomplishments is the major building expansion and renovation project of 1988-89. Planning began in the early 1980s. The first bulldozer arrived in June 1988. Construction concluded in June 1989, with a dedication that fall. The project doubled the building’s size from 14,400 square feet to 28,800 square feet, modernized facilities and equipment, and expanded parking. It required purchasing nearby properties and reconfiguring the surrounding area. The expansion consumed his life during that period, but it positioned the library for long-term growth.

In 1985, he also shepherded the library’s transition from a School District Public Library to a County District Public Library. Later, in 2009, amid concerns that state funding cuts might impact libraries, he spearheaded a successful levy campaign that added more than $1 million annually to the library’s revenue in perpetuity, nearly doubling its operating budget.

There were occasional low points, like the night someone threw a brick through the library window in the early years, shattering glass and nearly hitting him. The individuals responsible were never caught. But such incidents were rare in a career defined more by resilience than by setbacks.

Chidester has always focused on serving the whole community. The library informally provides a warm place for individuals experiencing homelessness after shelters close in the morning. It connects patrons with the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, offering resources for individuals who are blind, hearing impaired, or have reading disabilities. A traditional bookmobile once traveled throughout the county; in 1990, it transitioned to a delivery van system providing rapid delivery of books, magazines, CDs, and videos to communities, including Fredericktown and throughout Knox County.

Special services also extend to the Amish community, who arrive in buggies to select books, often mild romances. Delivery service has been available when needed.

“Libraries are all about lifelong learning, cultural enrichment, and the highest quality entertainment you can get for free,” Chidester said.

For nearly five decades, he has also been a consistent voice on local radio. Beginning in April 1977 during National Library Week, he started weekly conversations on WMVO with Charlie Kilkenny, whom he described as “everybody’s neighbor.” Decades later, he still appears every Wednesday at 10 a.m., sharing hardcover bestseller lists, movie box office updates, Rotten Tomatoes ratings, Blue Ribbon observances, and upcoming community events.

Despite the rise of digital technology, something even his father once predicted would replace libraries, Chidester remains confident in the enduring appeal of books. He reads roughly a book a week, totaling approximately 2,600 books during his time as director alone. While he occasionally reads e-books on his phone, he notes that many people still prefer physical books. “There is something about it that is captivating.”

His philosophy of leadership is grounded in how people feel. A quote that guides him daily is: “People may forget what you said, they may forget what you did, but they will not forget how you made them feel.” He believes that if you help people feel good, good things generally happen.

If he could offer advice to his younger self, he would quote Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “To thine own self be true.” In his own words: “Don’t ever forget who you are.”

Chidester has not forgotten who he is: A lifelong reader, a public servant, a husband to Marilyn since May 29, 1971, a father to Brian, Robert, and Margaret, and a grandfather to seven grandchildren across Rhode Island, Michigan, and Mount Vernon.

Fifty years after that first February morning in 1976, his legacy is written not just in expanded square footage or successful levies but in generations of readers who found warmth, knowledge, and belonging within the walls he helped build and sustain.