Desmond-Fish Library Director Leaving to Take Over Kent Public Library
As a small child, Carol Donick moved from home to home frequently.
As the child of a father who was in the Navy, the entire family became accustomed to moving to a different town every few years. While a young Donick had to make new friends, and experience the adjustment of a new school and town, the public library at any location was always the one constant for her.
“One of the first thing I would want to do when we move into a new house was find the local library and see what they had,” Donick said. “It was important to me to know in a new house, I may be making new friends, but I’ll still have a library I can use.”
Donick will once again be moving from one place to another soon, as the current Desmond-Fish Library Director in Garrison is set to take over the position at the Kent Public Library. Her last day in Garrison will be in late November and her first day in Kent is Dec. 2.
The soft-spoken Donick has been in charge of Desmond-Fish for the past 17 years, but is looking forward to her new home in Kent.
“I’ve enjoyed working at Desmond-Fish for many years, I feel now is a good time for me to embark on my next assignment,” Donick said.
She said she has known the former Kent Library director for many years and has heard him talk about the Kent Library for a long time. Being drawn to a larger library serving a larger town, and also being a little closer to her home all drew Donick to Kent.
“Everything that I’ve heard about them is quite positive,” Donick said.
Before pushing Kent forward or attempting to make any changes, Donick stressed she needs time to learn more about the library and it’d be a mistake to go into the new situation with a pre-conceived notion.
Still, she already knows the library must keep up with the technological changes while continuing to offer old fashion library service that would make patrons feel comfortable.
During her tenure at Desmond-Fish, Donick and the staff have accomplished multiple projects as the library has moved into the 21st century.
Donick took charge in the digitization of the library catalogue and helped integrate Desmond Fish into the larger mid-Hudson library community, which included the inter-library loan service. She also oversaw the multi-part environmental initiative the library worked on to update facilities that included replacing the insulation, doors, and the windows, and developed a project to replace the old HVAC system.
Donick was also instrumental in putting together the referendum the library is set to bring before Garrison School District voters next spring.
“Carol’s tenure has been a storied chapter for us at Desmond-Fish,” President of the Library’s Board of Trustees Hamilton Fish said in a press release. “She has been a great leader and beloved presence in our community for nearly a generation.”
Another board member and treasurer Richard Syrek said Donick has “always been wonderful to work with.”
“She always been there,” he said. “As treasurer, it’s made my job easier knowing the finances are controlled.”
Syrek said the board would put a search committee together and advertise the position. After that they’ll vet the candidates and look for qualities that would suit the library.
He said they’d want someone who has experience and has a vision for the library.
For Donick, Kent will be her fourth time as a library director, though Desmond-Fish has easily been her longest tenure.
“I know that I’ll be back for our holiday boutique and special events and things like that,” she said. “So I’m not going to feel like I’m walking out the door for the last time.”
