Gretchen Hachmeister, Executive Director
ghachmeister@hotchkisslibrary.org
Gretchen served on the HLS Board for 9 years before applying for the director’s job in 2018. Books have been the link between most of her life adventures, beginning with the hours she spent hidden in the crabapple tree in her family’s front yard in Pittsburgh reading horse books. Her first library memory is of climbing the stairs of the Bookmobile parked in the Giant Eagle Supermarket parking lot. During college she interned at the Library of Congress, getting lost in the tunnels and stacks under Capitol Hill.
She spent five years working at Houghton Mifflin, and during Gretchen’s first week they published The Prince of Tides. Pat Conroy took her and all the other entry-level staff to her first publishing lunch that Friday and they returned to the office at 3:30 pm. As the Foreign Rights Manager, she traveled to the Bologna and Frankfurt Book Fairs; John Kenneth Galbraith sent her a thank-you note every time she sold the translation rights for one of his books.
Gretchen spent seven years in New Haven enjoying Pepe’s Pizza and earning a Ph.D. in Germanic Languages and Literatures from Yale. After a brief foray into teaching, she and her husband landed in Sharon, where they have lived for twenty years, raising two kids, a miniature donkey named Roland, and a flock of Shetland sheep. When not at the Library, Gretchen can be found reading, knitting, or riding her handsome Icelandic horse.
Renee DeSimone, Head of Children’s Services & Circulation
rdesimone@hotchkisslibrary.org
Renee was born in NY but has lived in Litchfield County for over 20 years, so CT feels like home in many ways. She comes from (and currently has) an extremely large extended family for whom reading, music and art, science, and being a good human were valued. Renee has an M.A. in Creative Arts Therapy from Hofstra University and spent over 20 years as a therapist specializing in child and family mental health. After leaving that career, her love for books, art, and play led her to become part of the library community through children’s programs. Renee’s “best day ever” is any day when kids come into the library. She is so excited now to be part of the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon community! When she’s not in a library, she can be found making puppets, watching entirely too many PBS mysteries, and trying to learn to cook (though not always successfully).
Holly Nelson, Development and Events Coordinator
When Holly Nelson started at the Development and Events office at the Hotchkiss Library, in December 2019, she couldn’t imagine how the world was about to change. But it has seemed like the right place to be for a pandemic. “Libraries are always important resources, and never more so than in 2020. Being part of the team that helped keep the Library going was a great opportunity to be of help.”
Ms. Nelson has spent much of her life at the intersection of books and readers. As a co-founder of Oblong Books and Records in Millerton, NY she spent many years connecting readers with books and music to educate, entertain, and enlighten, as Oblong went from a whimsical idea to one of the region’s largest bookstores. At the turn of the century, she and husband Brad Vogel were inspired by a vacation to become the country’s first Iceland Tour Operator. Iceland Adventure organized riding and adventure tours on this most interesting island tucked up under the arctic circle, one which publishes more books per capita than anywhere else on earth. Having been involved in an array of non-profits, when the opportunity to join the Hotchkiss Library staff arose, she was delighted. Walking into the Library, shelves packed with authors’ best efforts, always feels like a great place to be, no matter what is happening in the world.
Katelyn Norkowski, Community Engagement Coordinator
knorkowski@hotchkisslibrary.org
Katelyn was born and raised in New Milford, CT. As a little girl, she remembers the joy of picking up a book at the New Milford Public Library after dance class. Growing up an avid reader, she was inspired to explore the world of journalism at Sacred Heart University. After the completion of her bachelor’s degree in journalism, she continued her education at Sacred Heart University by pursuing a master’s degree in strategic communication and public relations. In her spare time, you can find Katelyn cuddled up with her mini dachshund with a book in hand, spending time with friends and family, and traveling.
Library Assistants
Jean Anderson
I was born and raised in the flatlands and big sky country of Northwestern Ohio where the points of highest elevations were the man-made highway overpasses. I moved to Connecticut at age 21 and eventually earned a Master’s Degree in Special Education. I taught in the Region #1 Schools for 33 years before retiring in 2018. My favorite job (before teaching) was between the ages of 15-20 in my hometown library in Perrysburg, Ohio. Now, 41 years later, I have a new favorite job at our beloved Hotchkiss Library. My husband Peter and I have 2 adult children, Faye and Ian, and two grandchildren- Reese (5) and Levi (1). Being a grandmother is currently my biggest joy in life, but I also love to travel (can’t wait for that to happen again), garden (not so much the weeding part), cook, and row on Twin Lakes with my We Can Row Team (can’t wait to be able to do that safely again either!). I am struggling to learn French and I am searching for someone in the northeast who knows how to play Euchre, which I once believed was mandatory for all Ohioans to learn before being eligible for a driver’s license.
Kathy Amiet
Born and raised in northeast Ohio, I moved to Sharon after college, to work as a teacher-naturalist at the Sharon Audubon Center for six years. Following that, I began working part-time at the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon and at Sharon Center School. In 1985, I took a short hiatus to assume the role of Children’s Librarian/Assistant Director at the Oliver Wolcott Library in Litchfield. After two years in that position, I realized that I really wanted to work in the library in my own community. I again began working at the Hotchkiss Library, where I eventually became the Children’s Librarian, a position I held for 12 years. Currently, my responsibilities have me processing new books, audios, and DVDs and working at the circulation desk. This is my 38th year at Sharon Center School, and nearly the same at the Hotchkiss Library.
Having grown up in the country, I enjoy spending time outdoors, enjoying the natural world, and watching the birds at my bird feeders.
One of my primary passions is reading, and I feel somewhat adrift when I don’t have a book in hand.
I also enjoy spending as much time as I can with my Papillon dog, Merlin.
I am so grateful to work with a wonderful library staff, and over the years, the library has blessed me with several of my best friends, who I first met when they visited the library.
This library is truly the community center of Sharon!
Cinzi Lavin
Having worked at libraries in Texas, Connecticut, and Massachusetts as a paraprofessional since my college days, I believe libraries are vital to a free and democratic society, and I’m proud to serve the patrons of the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon. My connection to the literary world includes having worked as a foreign language editor at Holt, Rinehart & Winston and as a humor columnist for newspapers around the country.
While I particularly enjoy fielding difficult research questions, my favorite interaction is presenting someone—child or adult—with their first library card, knowing the world of resources it will open for them. My interests include vintage films, needlepointing, and supporting Manchester United. I strive to always be reading something that will make me look good if I die in the middle of it.
