Carpenter-Carse names new director
Jill Andersen, twice the Interim Director, chosen to lead the library
By Geoffrey Gevalt
The Record Managing Editor
Jill Andersen looks every bit like a librarian. She is soft-spoken, doesn’t like a lot of attention, loves books and loves that Carpenter-Carse is a center for community activity. And she’s no fan of having her picture taken.
A former Massachusetts sixth-grade teacher — with family roots in Bristol — she has been with the library for eight years and its interim director twice. When the director position opened up in 2023 with the resignation of Beth Royers, she was named interim director but did not apply for the top job. At the time she was the adult program director and said she liked working part-time so she could spend more time with her then 10-year-old daughter.
“I just didn't feel ready in my life to take extra responsibility and was happy just being the adult librarian,” she said. “Ever since (my daughter) was born I've really (have) tried to cherish her childhood and to stay just part-time as much as possible. Taking on a full-time role was really making me hesitate in terms of time away from her.”
But the last year has been difficult at the library. Her predecessor, Rob Broder, didn’t work out and left after less than a year. As she puts it, “it wasn’t the right fit.” There was more to it than that, but Andersen isn’t about to talk about it.
She was again named interim director after Broder left and came to realize that the job was right for her: she was more familiar with the job; her daughter is 12 now and is exercising some independence as 12-year-olds do; and the library staff urged her, encouraged her to apply. “It’s great to have them backing you.”
“I took the idea of being director a little more seriously,” she told The Record. “I've had another year or so to really understand the responsibilities and the different tasks that go into the job. Initially I sort of hesitated about the financial type tasks — I don't have that kind of a background — but I got a little bit more insight into what that would involve and a little more confidence in my ability to do those things so that took away my hesitation.” she said.
Andersen also knows that, like it or not, she has to have a public presence, something she admits she’s not totally comfortable with. She’d rather be in the background. She’d rather talk about books and about what the library has become and what it needs and where it is headed.
“I've been here for eight years. I know and love the community. I’ve made a lot of great connections .. when I was doing programming; I feel like my relationship with them is deep and over the years and we still love to see each other and talk and we have lots of things in common so it's great to still be able to be out there … and not spending all my time in here on the computer.”
For the library board, Andersen’s selection was a no-brainer.
As board chair Katherine Kjelleren put it: “Jill has already shown exceptional leadership and dedication to the library and our community during her time as Interim Director. We’re excited to officially welcome her into this role and look forward to her continued vision and enthusiasm.”
What Andersen loves most about the library — beyond the colleagues she works with and books — is that it is a hub, a center for all sorts of activities beyond the borrowing and reading of books from kids’ storytelling to meet-ups for people who grew up with rotary phones, from author talks and readings to arts projects and music.
“Working at Carpenter-Carse Library has been a dream job from the very beginning,”
Andersen said. “ I couldn’t ask for a more meaningful or enjoyable career; library work
combines my love of books and my desire to help people in the most satisfying of ways. It is a privilege.
“And I plan to continue building upon CCL’s many strengths, while also finding ways to move the library forward towards an even more inclusive and accessible future.”
What’s on the library’s to-do list? Here are some priorities:
To create private space(s) — a small meeting room and a conference room and even a maker’s space — for people to meet or do other activities. “Some people need a space to meet with a social worker; or they don’t have computer access for a tele-health visit.”
Space is also limited for ongoing programs — particularly after school programs — “where it would be great to keep everything out so they can use it the next day.” She said that while the Library leases out space, it can’t afford to take over that space because it needs the income.
To make the building accessible for the disabled — a mechanical door opener for the main entrance, for instance, where the doors currently are difficult to open for many.
To find out and understand what Hinesburg residents want and need at the library in terms of books and programs and as a community center.
Sustainability — both environmentally and financially. She mentioned that installation of solar panels was a start; the library got a grant to plant more trees, but more needs to be done. Financially, she points to the town’s limited budget and the potential for less state support with the changes in Washington. It’s going to take a large grant, she said, to address the space needs.
Sustainability also speaks to the fact that so many Hinesburg residents don’t have library cards and don’t use the library, she said.
“We would love to have more people from Hinesburg come visit us. Around 5,000 people live in Hinesburg, and we certainly know not all of them have library cards. Not everyone grew up coming to the library. I mean, the library was such an important part of my life growing up, but I know that's not the case for everyone, and sometimes it just seems like a place that doesn't have anything to offer you.
“But I hope people would consider that maybe there's something we have to offer them, and if it's not a book, we have plenty of other things.”
She doesn’t yet have a detailed plan for getting more people into the library, but you can tell she’s thinking about it. A lot. “I’d love to have a bookmobile,” she said. “Remember those?”
“One of my main jobs is to be sure that we are responsive to the community and fill a gap. But we need to out find what the needs are and respond to them. I encourage anybody who has ideas about how the library can more fully meet the needs to come talk with us. … We're really nothing without that kind of feedback. But you know the people who use the library tend to be the ones that we hear the most from, so the challenge is getting the word out — and hearing from the people who don't come.”
Challenge issued. Jill Andersen is all ears. Her email: jill@carpentercarse.org
(For her book recommendations, don’t miss the June print edition of The Record.)