Waterford's New Children's Librarian

has a new child’s librarian. Her number one goal: get the older children involved in the library.

“I’m already walking into a library that has what the kids are needing,” Christine Tkaczyk said. “We already have this little guys, lets get them coming back for book clubs when they get older.”

Tkaczyk was hired as the new children’s librarian last month, after Nadine Lipman retired. Tkaczyk, who is from East Hampton, last worked at the Durham Public Library as the teen librarian, and has a masters degree in library science from Southern Connecticut State University.

“She came in, and hit a home run on the interview,” said Library Director Roslyn Rubinstein, describing why she hired Tkaczyk. “We loved her enthusiasm, we loved her passion. And she has come in with all these new ideas and energy, I have to keep reminding myself she has only been here four weeks.”

Getting Older Kids Involved

Tkaczyk raved about the library’s collection, and its pre-school program. Currently, the library has reading hours for children, such as Mother Goose story time and Mother Goose at night.

Tkaczyk’s goal is to get older children back to the library. That can happen by continuing to offer them services, like book clubs, as children grow older. The end goal is to have children up to age 18 regularly using the library, she said.

“For teens, you really have to wait for them to ask you for a book club or for certain services,” she said. “So it is really going to be growing the population into the library.”

Tkaczyk said she knew about the Waterford library’s reputation before ever applying for the position. Waterford Public Library is known around the state as having one of the best collections and the best service of any library, she said.

“I am really walking into a dream position. It is not starting from scratch in any way,” Tkaczyk said. “This library is known for exemplary service.”

Tkaczyk is married, and says she herself likes to read historical fiction. When asked her favorite part of being a children’s librarian, she said the diversity.

“I get to work with everybody,” Tkaczyk said. “I get to work with babies, I get to work with grandparents, I get to work with teens.”