This is a tough one! Today, the Library says goodbye, kind of, to our longest-serving Circulation Staff member, Joan Prindle. I say ‘kind of,’ as she’s staying on as a substitute staff member, and will continue to serve patrons in her role as Chairperson of the Hamilton Historical Commission, which happens to be located right here in the library.
So what exactly is changing? Well, she won’t be here for her normal shifts, so less time at the front desk and filing patron applications, but honestly those responsibilities were getting in the way of a pretty constant demand for historical research while she was out there anyway.
I mentioned above that she’s our longest-serving staff member, and although her time here was sporadic, she has continued to serve the Village as historian and educator for decades. Joan joined our team in the early 1980s as a library clerk, and during her almost 10 years in that capacity, she also ran our Summer Reading Programs for head librarian Lucy Howe. Eventually, Joan left to go back to teaching 4th grade full time. There, she was thrown into a new curriculum of ‘local history,’ which ignited her passion for that topic. At that point, she also started working with the Historical Commission, who had operated in a limited capacity on the 2nd floor of the library every Monday night.
After her retirement from teaching in 2001, Joan returned to the library part-time, where she expanded her role both on the circulation desk and in the Historical Commission. She also taught workshops and programs at local schools on living history and storytelling. Working with kids, she said, has been her most rewarding experience.
Please join us in congratulating Joan on her retirement. Kind of. Again. I’m honored to continue working with her in this new capacity. Thanks, Joan!
