STEUBENVILLE — While many residents will associate Alan Hall with the transformative work he did at the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County, his efforts left an impact on the city, the region and the state.

“He was a remarkable person. He was a good friend and was very community minded,” Mayor Jerry Barilla said while sharing memories of Hall, who died Friday at the age of 71.

A Marietta native, Hall spent his entire 49-year professional career in libraries, the last 36 of them as executive director of the local system. Under his leadership, the system saw renovations at its branches, the opening of the Schiappa Branch in the city’s West End and the renovation of the Main Library on Fourth Street, a project which was designed to offer greater resources to the community and help bring new life to that section of town.

He was followed in that role by Mike Gray, who served as assistant director before he and Hall traded positions in 2018.

“During those 16 years, we took many road trips to meetings and professional conferences, and I never remember turning the radio on in the car,” Gray said. “Alan would tell stories about Ohio libraries and library directors, and in so doing teach me the ins-and-outs of being a library director.”

Those efforts came as little surprise. Hall graduated from West Virginia University with a bachelor’s degree in education in 1976 before earning his master’s degree in library science from Case Western Reserve University in 1977. From there, he served as the director of the Delphos Public Library from 1977 to 1983, when he and his wife, Barbara, came to Steubenville.

“He always told me he did his student teaching and hated it, but his teaching method with me was telling stories,” Gray said.

That willingness to share his knowledge and help others grow in their careers was always welcome.

“I will forever be thankful for being given the greatest gift in 1998. As a new director of a neighboring library, the Ohio Library Council named Alan as my mentor,” said Sandi Thompson, director of the Cadiz-based Puskarich Library System. “I used this gift liberally, asking this veteran director questions and getting feedback on everything from policy and management to book purchases.

“As an award-winning librarian, he was a valuable resource, not only to myself, but many library directors throughout Ohio,” Thompson added. “He always took the time to truly answer — there are so many phone calls and e-mails filled with his invaluable wisdom. They were all delivered with sincerity, humor and a little bit of his trademark sarcasm.”

Hall was the recipient of many accolades and served with numerous boards, committees and organizations on the local, county and state levels. Among the honors he received was being named Librarian of the Year by the Ohio Library Association in 1989. He was a member of the organization, which has since been renamed the Ohio Library Council, since 1977, and had served as president from 1992 to 1994. In 2019, he was named a Hall of Fame Librarian by the council.

He also served the State Library of Ohio as vice president in 2021 and president in 2022.

“The State Library of Ohio’s board and staff are deeply saddened by the passing of Alan, our esteemed former board member,” Drew Wichterman, board president, said in a statement. “His dedication, wisdom and unwavering commitment to library services left a lasting impact on all Ohioans, and, especially, those who had the privilege to work alongside him. His legacy will continue to inspire future generations.”

His local service included working on the boards of the Community Foundation of Jefferson County, Historic Fort Steuben, the Steubenville Historic Landmarks Commission and the Jefferson County Port Authority; earning status as a life member of the Jefferson County Historical Society; and as clerk of Two Ridges Presbyterian Church.

“His foresight has created the library system we know today,” said Robert Naylor, executive director of the port authority. “Alan’s leadership has enabled the staff to continue to do great things.

“Alan taught me a lot about the state budget process. When I came in, it was new to me, it was a foreign process. He provided me with the framework I needed to go after funding,” Naylor added.

Described by Naylor as a terrific writer and researcher, Hall was a prolific contributor to the Herald-Star, as a regular columnist for many years and as a special correspondent, providing local historical background and context on numerous topics through the years. He was the co-editor of “The Steubenville Bicentennial Book, 1797-1997” and co-author of the 2005 book “Steubenville: Images of America,” along with Sandy Day, another longtime library employee.

“I met Alan in the mid-1980s when he had become director,” Day remembered. “In 1994, I became the second local historian at the Schiappa Branch. He and I shared many memories of searching for our own family histories.

“When the branch was built on Mall Drive, he established a local history room that held many books on the topic. In later years, the branch expanded, and a new and larger local history-genealogy room was established,” she added. “He had library funds set aside to make sure that the branch had money to add books to the special room.”

Hall’s community service included membership in the Steubenville Lions Club from 1983 to 1992 and the Steubenville Rotary Club from 1998 until just a couple of months ago. He served as president of both clubs — the Lions in 1986 and Rotary in the 2017-2018 club year.

“Alan was definitely an asset to the club,” said Jim Baber, the Rotary Club’s current president. “He was my praying partner and didn’t mind leading the club in prayer. That was No. 1 — he was comfortable doing that. He also was proud of his family, which was good. We all should love our family and do all that we can for them.

“I appreciate him and how he lived up to the ideals of Rotary, which include service above self,” Baber continued. “He was such a positive force in my life as a Rotarian.”

In addition to his work with the local library system, Hall was instrumental in changing the dynamics of libraries across the state. He was a driving force behind the establishment of the Serving Every Ohioan Consortium, with the local system being one of the first four to join an automated network that now connects libraries across the state.

“Hall’s legacy lives on in his good works,” State Librarian Mandy Knapp said in a statement. “Under his leadership and guidance, Ohio’s libraries are better, and Ohio is a better place to live.”

It’s a legacy that Gray is proud to be able to continue.

“Alan was the best of us,” he said. “In Jefferson County, in Southeast Ohio, in the state and in the nation, he was a leader. Every time someone in one of our consortium’s libraries clicks on a button to borrow a book from the other side of the state, they should thank Alan Hall, for he was instrumental in developing the SEO Consortium from four libraries to the present 200-plus member libraries.

“Our Ohio Room is a model for local history libraries, and our seven — soon to be eight — branches and Main Library stand as a testament to his determination to provide library services to the citizens of Jefferson County,” he added.

In addition to his wife of 44 years, Hall is survived by his son, Shawn, and his wife, Megan of Hilliard; two grandsons; a brother, the Rev. Kent Hall of Marietta; two nieces and a nephew.

“We at the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County are heartbroken over our loss, but we move forward knowing that, as Alan used to say, ‘We stand on the shoulders of giants,'” Gray added. “Those giants are making room for one more set of shoulders today.”