Keene library announces new head of youth and community services
By Jamie Browder, Sentinel Staff ~ Dec 5, 2023 Updated Jan 11, 2024
The Keene Public Library has promoted Amy Kraemer to head of youth and community services, according to an announcement Monday from Marti Fiske, the library’s director.
Kraemer, of Keene, will lead and supervise the library’s youth department and oversee community engagement activities for all ages, Fiske said. In this position, she will be a member of the Winter Street library’s executive and administrative teams, placing her second in command alongside Assistant Director Susan Bloom.
Kraemer succeeds Gail Zachariah, the former head of youth and community services, who retired in August after 23 years.
According to the Keene Human Resources Office, Kraemer’s promotion took effect Monday.
Fiske said the position was tough to fill because it requires someone with experience managing people, programs, budgets, library collections, policies and procedures.
“It was a challenge to get applicants who were meeting all of those qualifications, and Amy had all of them,” Fiske said.
Before joining the Keene library’s staff in 2017, Kraemer had senior library management responsibilities; worked with families, young adults and children; and in technical services, arts advocacy and web and media literacy, according the promotion announcement. Kraemer said she’s also worked in art organizations, doing outreach to art communities for people of all ages.
Kraemer, 62, has a master’s in library and information sciences, and has worked in the Keene Public Library’s youth services department for seven years. The promotion seemed like the natural next step, she said.
Her initial goals are to involve more staff and community members in program planning, to get new ideas and see what people are interested in. She also wants to increase programming for elementary-age children, she said.
In addition, she plans to get more people involved in the library’s Makerspace, which is where people can make art with the assistance of more advanced technology and tools, according to its website. The first piece of this plan is to attend an Arts Alive listening session, said Kraemer, who added that she has helped manage the Makerspace and is a painter and printmaker.
“As an artist myself, I used to run galleries and things like that,” Kraemer said. “I’m really interested in how arts and artists can really enhance a community. I want to see how I can support [Arts Alive].”
Kraemer said she’s excited about her new position, and feels “well supported.” She’s looking forward to going out into the community and bringing more people into the library.
“I’m passionate about libraries, because I think information is power,” Kraemer said. “... Part of a librarian’s job is to curate collections, and we try to have a really balanced collection that represents all different points of view. Libraries are critical, and we’re lucky to have them.”