The trustees of the Andover Libraries are pleased to welcome Laura Pauling of New London as the new director of the Bachelder Library in East Andover. Her official start date is Tuesday, September 5, but you may run into her beforehand as she prepares to take over from retiring director, Gail Fitzpatrick.

Even as the mother of three active teenagers, Laura has managed to squeeze in a writing life; you can find her on her Amazon author page, and follow her blog postings. Writing cozy mysteries for children and adults and trying to keep up with the marketing vagaries of the publishing industry has not always been easy, but members of her writing group assure me that her energy, enthusiasm, and good nature allow her to tackle whatever comes her way.

To prepare for a leap into the library world, Laura volunteered and substituted at Libbie Cass Library in Springfield and now feels competent to take on the day to day activities at the Bachelder. She’s full of ideas and eagerly looks forward to moving the East Andover library forward into the community while maintaining its warmth and services. Stop by and greet Laura, and you’ll experience her friendliness and professionalism for yourself.