President Mary Castelli of the New Hampshire Library Trustees Association will bestow upon Kathy Ordway their “Special Library Service Contribution Award” on Thursday, November 15,  6 PM at the Bachelor Library in East Andover. The public is invited to celebrate with Kathy and the trustees and director at this very special event. Below are excerpts from the nomination letter. “Kathy Ordway has been holding together the Bachelder Library through the past three directors’ terms and no doubt will continue to do so as a stellar volunteer. She came on board as the primary volunteer when Gail Fitzpatrick became the director in 2014. Patrons came to rely on her friendly nature and knowledge of books. When Gail suddenly retired two years ago, Kathy “manned” the helm for the summer until we could find a replacement.” “She accumulated the knowledge and expertise to order new books, navigate the Interlibrary Loan system, run the circulation desk, coordinate programs and activities, and maintain a cheerful demeanor. When Laura Pauling was hired, Kathy and Andover Director Priscilla Poulin arranged on the job training, and Kathy went on to help Laura facilitate programs. Then Laura was offered a full time position at Libby Cass Library in Springfield. Not again, but again Kathy stepped in: she came, she saw, she conquered.”

“Within a few weeks, with Kathy’s strong support, we hired a new director, a former teacher who loved books of all genres. The synergy between Tina Wegler and Kathy was inspiring and wonderful; add to the mix the Andover director, and we were off and running. And then-yes, again! Tina returned to teaching, and Kathy ran a crew of volunteers until things settled down. Priscilla Poulin is currently running both libraries as we prepare for an upcoming search.”

“Time and again Kathy has provided strength, stability, good humor, and a passion for reading not only when we needed her but every day at the little William A. Bachelder Library in East
Andover. As a member of the Andover Libraries Book Club, she shares her voracious appetite
for books. Since processing new titles is part of her volunteer job, she catches the good ones
and manages to zip through the books before the public even knows they’re there. She is,
simply, crazy about books.”

“Kathy has also been the point person for community programs at the library. She started a morning sewing/knitting/handcrafts group, and when interest grew, she moved it to the Hub, as the Thursday morning “UFO” group. She was part of a “Zentangle” club that met Tuesday evenings in the winter, when the Bachelder is a cozy and inviting place to socialize. She has also taken her community commitment to AEMS on SHARE Day, an annual event in which school and town share interests and expertise.”

Need something done at the Bachelder? Kathy has been and still is our volunteer extraordinaire. Congratulations from all of us, Kathy!