Interview by Donangelo Marshall

Meet Lisa MacKinney! Lisa is the Hall County Library Director, a lifelong reader, lover of books, mother to her 15-year-old son Jeff MacKinney and married to Kevin MacKinney. Lisa and Kevin both attended Piedmont College. Lisa was an English and History major before she went to get her library degree. Her mother was an avid reader and inspired Lisa to go down a similar path by reading to her from the time she was born up until this day. 

We want to thank Lisa for spending time with us recently and telling us more about her life and love of Hall County.

Question: Please tell us a little bit about yourself, your background and your family.
Answer: “I am a lifelong reader and lover of books, so becoming a librarian is as natural as breathing to me. I was an English and History major in college before I went and got my library degree. My mother was also a big reader, so she sort of inspired me to go down that path by reading to me from the time I was born all the way up until now.”

Q: What inspired you to led you to your current career?
A: “Honestly, I went to the library from the earliest time I can remember. I can still remember what my hometown library smelled like. When I went to college, part of our curriculum was that everyone had to do some community service. So, I ended up doing it at the public library there, and looking back, it feels like there were many little stepping stones in my whole life that were leading me in this direction. I ended up honestly just stumbling into my first job, and then I never left. As an adult, I’ve only ever had one other job that wasn’t a library job.” 

Q: What is your favorite restaurant in Hall County?
A: “There were so many good restaurants here in Hall County. I really love Recess, and I could probably eat their hamburgers and sweet potato fries every day.” 

Q: How long have you lived or worked in Hall County?
A: “I came here for this job in 2004, so 17 years.” 

Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in Hall County?
A: “I’m sure you’ve heard this one before, because who wouldn’t say this person… has to be Phil Niekro. He’s one of the most amazing guys I’ve ever met. Unfortunately, we lost Phil this year…in addition to being an amazing baseball player, he was just a genuinely good human being who did so much for the community. He was also just a blast to be around like such a fun, hilarious, giving guy. He would be at the top of my list of people that I’m just honored to have been able to meet.”

Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be? And why?
A: “Probably Japan because my son, when he was maybe five, developed an obsession with Godzilla, and the only thing he wants is to visit Japan and see the birthplace of Godzilla. So if I could make that happen for him, I would love to do that.” 

Q: What is your favorite movie? What is the first movie you remember seeing in a theater?
A: “This is slightly disturbing, ‘Grease’ would be the first movie I remember seeing in a theater. I was pretty obsessed with it. I saw it 13 times when I was five years old for a solid six months…in first grade, I told all the kids my name is Olvia Newton-John, and at least a third of them believed me.” 

Q: What advice would you give to a crowd of people?
A: “Always be kind and give your neighbor that benefit of the doubt. You don’t know what they’re going through, and it never hurts to be kind.” 

Q: What is something on your bucket list?
A: “I want to see the Northern Lights.” 

Q: What is your favorite music or three bands that you would like to see (dead or alive)?
A: “I’m gonna say Guns N’ Roses, Tim McGraw and Fleetwood Mac.” 

Q: What current/former local business makes you the most nostalgic about Hall County?
A: “I’m going to have to say the Lakeshore Mall because when we were at Piedmont College, I had a couple of really close girlfriends who have since passed away and we would always come from Demorest and do our shopping at Lakeshore Mall. I have a lot of good memories of wandering there back in the day and buying shoes and clothes with people who I don’t get to see anymore.” 

Q: If you could choose anyone that is alive today and not a relative, with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? And where locally would y’all meet for this lunch?
A: “Queen Elizabeth just because she has seen it all. I’m going to take her somewhere fancy, like maybe Annastasia’s Tea Room because she’s the queen and drinks tea. Imagine what she’s seen at 95 and all the things that she knows. I’m not a big Royal watcher, but she has seen things and has information that could answer many questions about a lot of history. She can share a lot of good wisdom with you, and she’s been behind the scenes some very critical times in history.” 

Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about Hall County?
A: “I think the fact that even though we’re a city and we’re busy, we still feel so much like a small town. You still go out to watch and see people. You still walk down the street and bump into a neighbor, people still look out for each other the way they do in a smaller town.”

Q: Where do you see yourself in five or 10 years?
A: “I hope I’ll either still be the Library Director here in Hall County or possibly creeping toward retirement somewhere in that five to 10-year mark. I would like to have a farm after I retire where I do lots of animal rescue and have a few baby goats. I guess it would just depend on where my son wants to settle after college. Are we going to stay in Georgia? We have some family property up North, so that might be another. The location is flexible, the farm is not; I definitely need a barn.” 

Q: (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
A: “I’m pretty much an open book. Sadly, I don’t know if there’s anything.” 

Q: What three words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
A: “I would say laugh, love, and food.” 

Q: If you were cast into a major motion picture and had your choice of anyone to be your co-star, who would you choose?
A: “Definitely The Rock. It’ll be fun. He’s actually a very nice person. He was really nice when he came to Hall County a few years ago. He wasn’t snobby to the community, was really friendly, and seemed to have a good, down-to-earth sense of self.” 

Q: What are your top three books of all time? Favorite author/s?
A:” That really is asking me to choose a child, even though I only have one, it’s near impossible! ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is my definite number one favorite book. I’ve got two favorite authors, Darynda Jones wrote mystery fantasy kind of things, and Susan Elizabeth Phillips is contemporary romance. It’s hilarious and oddly a lot about football.”