After nearly 20 years at the helm of Salisbury’s Scoville Memorial Library, Claudia Cayne will be stepping down as director at the end of 2021. She will be succeeded by Karin Goodell, the director of the Beardsley Library in Winsted, CT.
Since Claudia joined SML as director in 2002, she has overseen major improvements to the historic building (both interior and exterior); its collections of books, videos and ebooks; and its technological capabilities. She originated SML’s popular adult programming and made quality customer service a priority. Her steady leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic enabled SML to pivot quickly to book delivery and book drop as well as online programming, allowing the library to continue to reach patrons during an isolating time. Claudia’s other accomplishments include cultivating important relationships with major donors and spearheading the conversion of the cataloguing system from the Dewey Decimal Classification to a more customer-friendly bookstore model. Claudia also associated SML with the popular White Hart/Oblong Books & Music book reading series. Separately, she played a significant role in the founding of the acclaimed Salisbury Forum.
Claudia said, “It’s a bittersweet time for me to be leaving my long-term home at SML. I am so proud of the excellent work done by our dedicated staff over the years to ensure the library remains such a vibrant community hub, and I’m thankful for all the wonderful people of Salisbury who have made my role such a pleasure. I’m grateful to be leaving SML in Karin’s incredibly capable hands and look forward to being an ongoing patron of this wonderful institution in my retirement.”
New director Karin Goodell will be joining the SML staff in early December, overlapping with Claudia for a period to ensure a smooth leadership transition. Karin brings with her a wealth of experience developing and implementing innovative programs and services at Beardsley, where she also spent four years as head of children and youth services before becoming director in 2011. Previously, she worked as a technology center coordinator at the New Britain Adult Education Center as well as a school readiness coordinator at the Bristol Preschool Center. She has a master’s in organizational effectiveness and leadership (nonprofit focus) and a B.A. in early childhood studies, both from Charter Oak State College in New Britain.
An active participant in the Connecticut library community, Karin serves on the board of the Connecticut Library Association as a regional representative. She was formerly the chair of the Northwest Connecticut Library Directors Roundtable, where she first had the pleasure of meeting and networking with Claudia.
Karin said, “I’m so honored and excited to be taking on this important role. I have always admired the work that Claudia and SML have done to engage and enrich the Salisbury community. I look forward to connecting with as many of the library’s patrons as possible over the coming months and years.”
