| Sasha Nyary |
Even behind his COVID mask, Jay Campbell, the new director of the New Gloucester Public Library, emanates warmth and enthusiasm. He loves talking about libraries and their role in a community, and he greets every visitor with a big smile and a listening ear.
He’s clearly delighted to be here, and the response has been, well, enthusiastic.
“I and all of the trustees feel so lucky to have hired Jay Campbell for our little gem of a library!” says CeCe Sullivan Rohrbach, chair of the Library Board of Trustees. “He brings his expertise and conscientiousness to the director position, as well as a love for all things library. He understands the integral role it has in our community, now and into the future.”
“This is an exciting new chapter for our library,” says Kathleen Potter, president of the Friends of New Gloucester Public Library. “I love Jay’s enthusiasm, which is backed up by his stellar background in library sciences and reverence for the history of the library, and love of the community.”
It’s that vibrant enthusiasm and deep experience, combined with a visible appreciation for his new hometown that gives Campbell such rave reviews.
‘This isn’t my library…’
“My real belief is this isn’t my library. It’s the community’s library,” Campbell says. “I’m a real believer in thoughtful planning and assessing needs, rather than just jumping into big changes without making sure that it’s something that the community wants and needs, something that is going to serve the community well. Right now I am just hearing how glad they are that the library is open and fully staffed again.”
He’s currently in a learning phase, says Campbell, who started in the position on December 14. He’s trying to learn as much as possible about the library and its resources as well as the needs and desires of the community. One of his long-term goals is to work with the trustees and other stakeholders to develop a strategic plan for the library.
Campbell’s understanding of a library’s role in the community comes after years of experience and training. At 42, he has worked in libraries for more than 15 years, his entire professional life, and he has loved them since he was a child growing up in a town smaller than New Gloucester, called Portville, in western New York State.
Skills and expertise both deep and broad
Campbell knew coming out of college — he has a B.A. in English from Alfred University, with a focus on 20th-century American literature and creative writing — that he would go to library school but he wanted to work first. He had friends from college who grew up in Maine and he found a position at the University of Maine School of Law library in Portland.
That eventful year was also when he met his wife, Greta Atchinson, who had grown up in Naples. Campbell left Maine to attend Simmons University for a master’s degree in library and information science, where he focused on cataloging and technology, including database management and web design. He also worked at the Boston Public Library creating metadata for rare books digitization projects.
After graduating from library school in 2008 he ran technical services at the town library in Milford, Massachusetts, for three years. In 2011, when a position opened up at the Simmons library, he went back to an academic setting. In his decade there he held three positions with increasingly significant responsibility. In essence, he was both deepening his skills and broadening them out to various aspects of library management.
His first position at Simmons was as access services librarian — circulation, interlibrary loan and course reserves — which meant he was getting books and other materials into the hands of patrons.
Next, he served as acquisitions and information delivery librarian, in charge of purchasing materials for the collection. His last position as head of collections and systems gave him significant management experience.
And they all lived happily ever after
If you’re Jay Campbell, the rest is a bit like a fairy tale.
During the pandemic Campbell was working remotely. But then Atchinson, now an attorney specializing in elder law and estate planning, got a job in Portland. So in October the couple moved back to Maine. They knew about New Gloucester because of their interest in the Shakers but they had never been to the Lower Village. They and their 17-year-old beagle, Teddy, found a house just a few yards away from the library.
“And then, what appeared in front of me!” Campbell says, still in disbelief at his good fortune. “After I’d already visited the library, become a member of the Friends of the Library, and attended programs and volunteered, then this job became available. Which was perfect. The first time that I walked in the doors here, and was greeted by Emily, she was just so kind and welcoming that I thought this might be a good place to be. And it’s turned out to be so.”
“Emily” is Emily Martin, the library’s assistant director. “I love how Jay looks at the overall health of the library and the community,” she says.
Campbell is just as grateful for Martin. “I would like to really thank Emily for all that she’s done,” he says. “She’s shown an amazing dedication to the library and the town, and we’re really lucky to have her. I love that everyone’s so happy to see Emily when they come in, and they’ve been so welcoming to me.”
Their partnership bodes well for the library, says Potter. “Just watching the interaction between Emily and Jay you can see the blossoming of a great collaboration that will benefit not only the library but the entire community.”
For now Campbell and Atchinson are getting settled. He still hasn’t unpacked all his books, Campbell says — as might be expected from a librarian, he enjoys reading, and favorite authors include Peter Guralnick, Richard Russo, and Toni Morrison. He also likes to write, do crossword puzzles, and cook, although he credits Atchinson as the real chef in the family and lauds her baking skills.
The couple share a love of live music and have made it their goal to see artists while they are still performing. They’ve seen hundreds, Campbell says, including Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, and Paul Simon. Campbell collects records and was just given a 1959 Seeburg jukebox, which they got from a man in Windham who restores jukeboxes.
They’re also spending time getting to know their new hometown.
“New Gloucester really seems like a kind of a place apart,” says Campbell, speaking glowingly of the Tiny Timber tree-lighting in December. “This community does seem so close-knit, much more than any I’ve ever lived in. I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone. And hopefully they’ll stop by and introduce themselves and share their thoughts with me.”
