NEML welcomes new director of youth services

The NorthEast-Millerton Library bid a fond farewell on Tuesday, July 9 to Youth Services Director Lynn Buckley while welcoming her replacement, Naomi Schmidt.

No stranger to the world of young ones enjoying their library time, Schmidt spent five years as the director of children’s programming at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg, Massachusetts.

Although she is coming with many ideas and years of experience, Schmidt says she has no plans to change any of the programs Buckley put in place, including the summer reading: “Adventures Begin at Your Library.”

“I feel I need to get to know the community better before I can determine what will work here,” Schmidt said.

As she begins her new duties, she says she is especially looking forward to reading during story time. She plans to arrive at each session with several books, check out the audience and pick the best one for the day. Whatever the audience, however, she knows it will include her favorite part — children.

Kids have enthusiasm for everything, Schmidt says. “Things like the books that I bring to them — they’re all new to them — and the different activities. Everything is all new and exciting. There’s just so much energy. I love that.”

A fan of fact or fiction — from fantasy to sci-fi — Schmidt also enjoys fencing and boxing. Having studied both German and Latin, and mindful of the fact that the Library includes Hispanic patrons, she is once again studying Spanish as she did when she lived in Boston with a similar population.

“I look forward to meeting everybody, and I am open to ideas,” said Schmidt.

“If anybody has a program that they think would be fun, let me know. I’ll see what I can do.”