Galene Kessin

My involvement with the Norfolk Library was almost accidental.  I went into the library one day because Comcast had interrupted our phone and internet service and I urgently needed to call my husband Rich, who was in New York.  While I was seated in a comfortable chair in what I now know is the Great Hall, a man walked up to me and asked if I was there for the Library Associates meeting.  I stared at him blankly and said, “Uh, no.”  He proceeded to tell me all about the associates and suggested I join.  That man was David Davis.  After a few months, I did attend a meeting and so became involved.  

It was probably inevitable.  My father was a library director.  His father was a library director.  In fact, my grandfather met my grandmother at what was then the New York State Library School.  As a child with two parents working full time, I thought the children’s room at the New Bedford Free Public Library was my personal day care center at times.  My first volunteer responsibilities included pasting pockets into books, stamping books out to patrons, using a hot stylus to put Dewey Decimal numbers on the spines of books (pre-OSHA).  High school days found me filing catalog cards, putting plastic covers on new books and other duties as assigned.

In 2002 my husband, Richard, and I bought a house in Norfolk without knowing anything about the town.  Our first acquaintance with the library made us realize that we were in a special place indeed. As weekenders, we sadly drove back to New York on Sunday afternoons passing the sign on the lawn of the library announcing art receptions from 4 to 6 p.m. that we would miss. Full- time retirement has changed all that, giving us the opportunity to attend the many programs and events at the library and to work with the associates to raise funds to support those programs.  It takes a lot of people, on the roster of library associates and beyond, who contribute their experience, time, ideas and efforts to bring about the amazing community events, cultural and educational programs and so much else our amazing library has to offer.  We’ve made friends and had lots of fun.

Louise Davis

Libraries have always been special to me. When I was a child growing up in New York City, I spent countless hours at the New York Public Library. I was there so often that I almost think my parents considered the library to be their personal babysitter! When I asked my father if I could purchase a book, he always replied that I could get the book from the library. We were all great believers in public libraries.

As a child, I came to Norfolk every summer to the house my grandfather built on Mountain Road. After I grew and married my husband, David, we decided to make Norfolk our home and moved here permanently around 1993. 

The smells (there’s nothing like the scent of a book), sounds (the distinctive chime of the grandfather clock) and sights (friends and neighbors everywhere) of the Norfolk Library always attracted me, so I could frequently be found roaming the aisles or curled up in the Great Hall, engrossed in a good book. Eventually, Louise Schimmel approached me and asked if I wanted to be a part of the Library Associates group and the rest is history.

I am currently serving as co-president of the Library Associates, along with Galene Kessin. The Associates group is the fundraising arm of the library and was instrumental in designing the new Children’s Room. They do the funding for all of the library programs such as music, art, lectures, book clubs, etc. Our big fundraiser of the year is the book sale weekend, from the cocktail party gala on Friday evening through the end of the two-day book sale. 

In 2024, the Associates will celebrate their 50^th year of service to The Norfolk Library. There are many wonderful events being planned to celebrate, so we are going to need more volunteers than ever. It is my pleasure to serve as a library associate. I personally feel that the library is very important for the town and it really is the community center of Norfolk. It has been and continues to be my pleasure to serve this wonderful town resource.