Dear Residents,
What’s next? For many, January is a reflective time: a period of evaluation and a fresh start. In mid-January 2015, I will begin the next chapter of my career. As so many of you know, I arrived in CSH in February 1999, when the library occupied 7,000 square feet in the Goosehill School. By 2000, the Library Friends Foundation was established, a relationship was developing with the NYS Parks Department to construct a new library in the newly created CSH State Park, and community meetings began in earnest to “IMAGINE” your library. Does anyone still have an IMAGINE T-shirt? Did you host one of many educational events in your home? Were you a donor to the capital campaign? By 2006, we had raised over $4 million, passed a bond issue, constructed our new 26,700 square foot library building, and opened the doors. Free Wi-Fi, a mobile app, an engaging website, and popular meeting rooms make your library the anchor for the community.
Together, we have written a moving history of community engagement. Your generosity and support of your library have been and will continue to be a source of pride, and a shining example of what can happen when we listen to each other and identify our shared values, wishes, and dreams. Only an opportunity to build another library could have enticed me away from a place I have grown to love. This library, I truly believe, represents the very best in all of us. I wish you all good health and good fortune.
Happy New Year,
Helen M. Crosson