Sue Marshall is the new director of the Rumford Public Library. She was children’s librarian for 15 years. Bruce Farrin/Rumford Falls Times

RUMFORD — Sue Marshall, longtime children’s librarian at Rumford Public Library, began her new job as library director Monday.

Town Manager Stacy Carter announced her hiring to the Board of Selectmen on Aug. 20. Carter and the library board of trustees unanimously approved her for the position.

“I’m really excited,” said Marshall, 60, of Mexico.

With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, she said, “I feel like we’re at such a standstill, with everything going on. I’ve got all these plans and all these ideas.”

However, the situation has provided her the chance to get comfortable with her new responsibilities.

“There’s probably things I wouldn’t have done with the job if we had all these programs and everything going on,” she said. “We might have been too busy. But I’m feeling like this has given me an opportunity to ease into it.”

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Well-known for the costumes she wore during her 15 years as children’s librarian, she said she would like to find a way to continue that.

“I kind of wonder if we should come up with a mascot for the library,” she said. “I know that Maine State Library has a mascot — Baxter the Cat. But I’m going to wait until we hire a children’s librarian, and see how it goes.”

Marshall was born in Rumford, where her entire family lives. She did her internship at the library when she was earning her degree in library science and information technology through the University of Maine at Augusta. Karl Aromaa was director then and he eventually hired her.

“He used to take me with him when he did maintenance, and he always said to me, ‘I’m going to show you how this is done so when you take over, you’ll know what to do.’ And I kind of would laugh because I never thought I would take over,” she said.

Marshall served as interim director after Tamara Butler left in July 2019 and again after Michael McWilliams resigned in April.

“I was thrown into it and it was pretty overwhelming because I was still doing the children’s librarian job. I was pretty convinced that it wasn’t anything I wanted to do,” she said of her first interim stint. During the second one, Carter told her to concentrate on the director’s job because it was too much to do both.

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“That made it just that much easier, and I began to see where I could do the job, and it wasn’t going to be as overwhelming as I thought it was,” she said. “I got more comfortable in the role.

“I finally decided that maybe it’s time for somebody younger” to be children’s librarian … “although I did love that job!” she said.

In her new role, she’s reminding visitors that anything that comes into the building has to be quarantined for three days.

“That slows down the interlibrary loan process,” she said. “People get a little edgy sometimes, so you really have to be patient and explain things. And I find that a sense of humor goes a long way to make people a little more comfortable with you.”

The library has been sharing information on the library’s Facebook page.

“The storytimes on Facebook were really fun to do,” Marshall said. “It’s nice to have Facebook because it’s a way we can reach so many more people than we can any other way.”

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“I had one mother that said her son was convinced that I was reading stories directly to him and that was his storytime,” she said.

Marshall praised her staff, who include Abby Austin, circulation specialist; Tom Corrivan, information technology person; and Maryanne Fournier, adult services librarian.

“We’re still looking for a children’s librarian as well as a children’s librarian assistant,” Marshall said.

She thanked the library trustees for showing her the ropes.

“They have been a big help,” she said. “When I first started, there was so much that I did not know. And they really pitched in and helped out. They’re all very invested in the library and want to move us forward,” she said.

Looking ahead, she’s studying up on aspects of her new job, including a book on accounting and a book and a webinar on being a library director.

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“I’m kind of educating myself,” she said.

And she’s counting on Carter’s support, too.

“I can call Stacy at any time and always have someone who will sit down with me if I have questions,” she said.

Regular library hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays, although staff is still there until 4 if someone comes to the door. At-risk patrons can come Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 to 9 a.m.

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