Library Associates Celebrate 50 Years of Supporting the Library

By Ruth Melville

The Library Associates are 50 years old this year, and to celebrate, the Norfolk Library Board of Trustees threw them a party and invited the whole town.

The party was held at the library on Saturday, Jan. 20. Although it was a cold, blustery night, the library’s Great Hall was filled with people who had come out to celebrate the anniversary with a signature cocktail, hors-d’oeuvres, a tiered cake—all made by the trustees—and the music of the Grantville Dawgs. Among the celebrants was State Representative Maria Horn, who presented the Associates with a congratulatory citation from the State of Connecticut.

In a brief address to the crowd, Library Director Ann Havemeyer presented a history of the Library Associates over the past 50 years. 

She explained that the library’s founder, Isabella Eldridge, had always intended that the building be not just a library, but a gathering place for the community. During Eldridge’s lifetime, she hosted many elegant and festive events, but after her death in 1919, the tradition died out.

In 1974 two members of the library board of trustees, Tibby Robinson and Martha Walcott, took the lead in reviving the idea of making the library a cultural center for the town. A group of 10 women gathered to hold the first organizational meeting, and the group was off and running. It seems odd to us now, but for many years, the members remained all women. The first man to join the group, in 2004, was David Davis, and he is still a member today.

To raise money to sponsor concerts and other cultural events, the Associates decided in 1976 to hold a book sale, which raised a tidy sum of $650. Over the intervening years, and thanks largely to the efforts of Hatsy Taylor and then her daughter Bridget—and a large team of volunteers—the sale has grown enormously. It is now considered one of the best book sales in the area and has become a major fundraiser for the library.

With the money they’ve raised, the associates have organized and funded concerts, lectures, art exhibits, receptions, movies and carol sings. They have helped support after-school activities, a summer reading program for children, an evening of Irish music on St. Patrick’s Day and Mark Scarbrough’s popular book group; and they have made substantial contributions to major building projects such as the restoration of the library and its red tile roof and the renovation of the Children’s Room.

At the conclusion of her presentation, Havemeyer honored, to great applause, the current co-presidents of the Library Associates, Galene Kessin and Louise Davis; the “first man,” David Davis; and Ruthann Olsson, one of the original group of 10 who started the group in 1974.

The associates are planning other events to celebrate their golden anniversary: a community-wide street fair on Sunday, June 23; a special art exhibit featuring the work of artists who have frequently exhibited at the library; and a gala party and auction on the eve of the annual book sale at the end of August.

The Library Associates are always looking for new members. Anyone interested in invited to attend their monthly meetings on the second Tuesday of the month, held both at the library and over Zoom. The next 50 years should be just as exciting.