Ginny Chapman
Killingworth Librarian Extraordinaire: On Her Retirement

"I never started out to be a librarian but I always wanted Killingworth to have a library. So it seemed natural to say yes when offered the job. That led to my wanting to see us get a larger and better equipped facility with increased town financial support." A determined Library Association Board, dedicated volunteers, and commitments from Town Hall helped secure just that during Ginny Chapman's nine and a half year tenure as Head Librarian.

The job that Ginny said yes to over nine years ago would entail more than she might have imagined. She had been working two and a half days a week under Jeanne Blythe, Killingworth's first full time librarian. It was Jeanne's retirement that led to Ginny's acceptance of the position. She soon found herself, along with a newly formed Library Building Committee, visiting many libraries looking for ideas that would best suit a library with limited staff and maximized use of volunteers. The Committee would ultimately give the architect, Arlene Tunney, a specific list of requirements. The result is the user friendly, community- centered library we enjoy today.

Moving from the former library, at what is now Killingworth's Emergency Management Center and Resident Trooper's Office, was a very big deal. Ginny came to the new building with the old card catalogue drawers which were fast becoming a thing of the past. She then began her computer education to bring the Killingworth Library into the technological age. As she leaves her post, a second generation of computers has been put in place under the supervision of John Byrne, Vince Bongiovanni and Nate Dudek.

Being an integral part of building a library/media center from the ground up has given Ginny a comprehensive understanding of what such a place is to a community and what is required to keep it current and meaningful. In her straightforward way she explains the essence of such a center, "A library is a living thing, it is never done."

"Technology will determine the future formats of material and will never be static," she further explains. In just a short time, the library has gone from videos to DVDs and from tapes to CDs. Changing interests have resulted in a larger Science Fiction section and, thanks to the Lion's Club, a greater, up to date selection of large print books. The Reference Section has also grown.

Ginny stresses that reference books are still essential. The internet, while a valuable tool, cannot replace the depth of information found in the best reference materials, she cautions. She also warns that everything on the internet is not necessarily correct and that it is important to use reliable sites. "All sites are not equal." Part of the modern library's function is to help the public learn to be discriminating about sites and to help narrow down specific searches. Ginny feels an important benefit of the library's computer availability is to "make an even playing field for those who don't have computers at home."

Sitting in her office, looking out over the main room, this daughter of Killingworth must remember the little girl who borrowed books from the Downing farm off Route 81. She described vividly the Downing's old rounded-glass front bookcase. Edith Downing, a former teacher, was happy to lend books to her young neighbor, saying simply, "We must have books." Later, Ginny was welcomed to use the entire library of the Goldsmiths who lived in the old Ely House. For most of her childhood, "going to the library" meant a car trip into Clinton or Madison . How rewarding it must be to have played a major role in assuring that today's Killingworth children have books and media materials readily at hand.

A graduate of Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, Ginny Walton Chapman married her husband, Alan, shortly after graduation in 1963. She taught the first Kindergarten class at KES and then stayed home to raise her children, Mark and Amy. Being a mother is what Ginny considers her career. Being librarian for Killingworth is "what I did after my career." This mother of two is now a grandmother to six. Alan, who retired several years ago from Northeast Utilities, is really retiring from his "temporary" consulting job with the company so the couple can enjoy their plans for the future.

This month, Ginny and Alan begin a new chapter in their lives. They are heading out to explore the northern part of the United States in their very versatile motor home. Deadlines will be forgotten, paperwork ignored, unscheduled adventures welcomed.

Perhaps no one knows better than Ginny how important volunteers are to the Killingworth Library and its daily functioning. And after a break, she promises to come back and do all the jobs no one else wants to do. "I intend to come back and be a very good friend to the library. I know how important every job is."

And we know how important you have been, Ginny Walton Chapman, in making the Killingworth Library the fine library and community center it is today. May you enjoy these first days and all the days of the rest of your life, traveling the land but returning now and again to shelve books , work the front desk, or sit in a quiet corner and read a book.