President's Message
Board President Tanis Erdmann thanked Mr. Bryant and his staff for the smooth and efficient operation of the Library. She also expressed appreciation for the Library’s donors and volunteers, whose gifts of time and money directly contributed to making the year a success. Mrs. Erdmann said that New Canaan Library has been a treasured Town institution for 130 years, now serving over 1,000 patrons a day, annually circulating almost 450,000 items and hosting over 800 book talks, classes, concerts, lectures, workshops, meetings and art openings. She explained that New Canaan Library, while still serving the reading and research needs of New Canaan, has evolved into the Town’s cultural center for exploring the world of ideas, current events and the arts.
Looking toward the future Mrs. Erdmann remarked that the 21st century will be a new age for libraries, as library usage patterns nationwide have changed greatly over the last few years. “Large reference collections have given away to banks of Internet terminals. Back issues of periodicals are available electronically rather than in dusky boxes or on microfiche. A card catalogue is a computer program, and many traditional library offerings are now available online, from home. We should expect further changes; e-books are just around the corner.” Today’s library needs less space for physical storage. Instead, patrons want classes and lectures, technologically literate services, a comfortable environment for study, and efficiency.
The Library Board has convened a committee to oversee a project that will result in a new space plan for the Library. Many changes are anticipated, including a “living room” for reading and gathering, an Internet Café with additional computers, and improved quiet spaces and collaborative study rooms. Mrs. Erdmann concluded, “These new facilities will be wonderful and will benefit everyone in our town. At the same time they are not optional or ‘wishful thinking’; they are what is needed to remain relevant. The basic functions of libraries are shifting, and only as a 21st library can we remain a popular culture center and a New Canaan cornerstone for another 100 years.”
New Board Elected
Nominating Chair, Kit Devereaux, presented the slate of officers for the 2007-2010 term. Returning are board members Schuyler Field, Sally Halstead, Anda Hutchins and Karen R. Stevenson. New board members are Elizabeth Ellsworth, Patrick K. Hagerty, Susan P. Stone and Valerie Stryker. Judy Dunn is also "new" to the board, having returned after a short hiatus.
Judy Dunn is passionate about the Library and delighted to be back. She is a Past President of the Board and has served as a trustee for more than 15 years. Ms. Dunn was President of the Friends of the Library and served on numerous committees prior to coming on the Board. She has been a realtor with Brotherhood & Higley for 30 years and, as a long-time resident, has served on various town commissions.
Pat Hagerty is serving as Assistant Treasurer on the Library Board. He has lived in New Canaan for 11 years and is active in the Congregational Church and, through his children, New Canaan baseball, football, lacrosse and the New England Academy of Dance. He is currently the U.S Publisher of Newsweek magazine.
Susan Stone serves on the Board’s publicity committee. After graduating from Colby College, she attended New York University where she received a master’s degree in French and served as assistant to the director of the NYU in France program. She has taught languages and worked in development and admissions at Greenwich Academy. Currently, Ms. Stone tutors students in French and serves on the board of directors of the League of Women Voters of New Canaan. She and her husband, author Jonathan Stone, are raising two children in New Canaan where they have lived for 17 years.
Elizabeth Ellsworth serves on the Board in a development capacity and is the current chair of the Friends Children’s Committee. She has wide experience in direct marketing, advertising and branding strategies and enjoyed a 10-year career with Citicorp before starting her own consulting firm. Ms. Ellsworth has an MBA in International Management from the Thunderbird School. She and her husband coach soccer and baseball for their two children in New Canaan and are also active in St. Mark’s Church.
Valerie Stryker is on the Board as President of the Friends of the Library. She is the former chair of the Friends Children’s Committee and has been a library volunteer for more than 13 years. Ms. Stryker has also served on St. Mark’s Nursery School Board of Directors, where she chaired the Head Start Sister School Program. She has been active in the West and Saxe School PTCs and the Girl Scouts. Professionally, Ms. Stryker has held finance and marketing positions for Arthur Young Management Consulting Group and Home Box Office (HBO) television.
Ms. Stryker presented a report on the Friends of the Library at the annual meeting, reviewing the activities of their membership over the past year. She thanked the Friends for their commitment to the Library and their spirit of volunteerism. She also thanked the press for their coverage of the group’s events and said that the Friends are looking forward to a new year of programming to enrich the life of the New Canaan Library community. Click here to read the full report.
.Attendees were welcomed at a reception following the meeting.
The newest members of the New Canaan Library Board of Trustees: l.-r. Valerie Stryker, Susan Stone, Board President Tanis Erdmann, Pat Hagerty, and Elizabeth Ellsworth.
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