After nearly 30 years as the Kansas Room librarian, Mary Ann Thompson has retired from the Hays Public Library.  HPL hosted a public reception for her Friday morning.

Since starting to work in the Dorothy Richards Kansas Room in 1985, Thompson has expanded the collection with extensive information about Hays, Ellis County, the western United States, including Kansas, Volga Germans and genealogy.

She’s the author of “Hays The 1930s” and an editor of books about the life General George Armstrong Custer.

Thompson is one of the first people to create and manage web pages as part of the first history directory on the Web, which was based at the University of Kansas.  She also initiated a digital photo archive for HPL.

Thompson says she’ll stay in Hays and involved in community activities.

Tune in to Street Beat Eagle Community TV Channel 14 tonight as Thompson reflects on the growth and changes in the Kansas Room.