Great Barrington — A community meet-and-greet event was held at the Mason Library to celebrate the hiring of Libraries Director Samara Klein on Friday, October 7. Residents, along with library trustees, volunteers, and municipal officials, all attended the event.
The town hired Klein in August to oversee operations at the Mason and Ramsdell libraries. “Things have been going very well since I was hired,” Klein said. “I have been spending a lot of time with the staff getting to know them and how the library operates. We are figuring out how our libraries can be much more accessible and relevant to the community.”
Klein said that she is currently determining how to bring programming in a way that she feels will better serve the community, including programs for English as a Second Language (ESL), elderly, and teen residents. “I want to cover all of the different facets of the community with our programming,” Klein said. “I want to encourage everybody to come into our libraries and feel free to knock on my door if they have any ideas they would want to share. I want to bring in what people would like to see.”
“We are thrilled that we have hired a local girl with great credentials who loves the library,” Libraries Trustee Carol McGlinchey said. “We’re very blessed to have her.” McGlinchey is the newest libraries trustee, having joined the Board of Trustees in May.
“I can’t imagine life without a library,” McGlinchey said. “I think it’s very important to have libraries in a small town.”
“To me, these libraries are community centers,” Circulation Supervisor Christine Warner said. “People don’t just come to the libraries to get books. They come here to find some peace, quiet, tutoring, and to get computer access. The libraries that we have here are the best tax dollars work. You just get so much for your library card.”
Friends of the Libraries President and Select Board member Ed Abrahams said that the town’s libraries are “treasures” and that “the town is lucky to have them.”
Abrahams said, “People should come in to both of them because almost everything is free … I would also encourage residents to volunteer, especially the ones who love to be around people.”
Samara Klein’s father, author Daniel Klein, said he is proud of his daughter. “This is her dream job,” Daniel Klein said. “It’s a very demanding job. But she is a very strong and well organized person. People should know that libraries are much more than book dispensaries, they are cultural dispensiries. This is a meeting place for everyone.”
For more information on the town’s libraries, including ongoing programs, go to its website.
