Library Director:
Joseph A. Williams
Deputy Director:
Kate Soboleva
Division Managers:
Byram Shubert Library: Miguel García-Colón
Cos Cob Library: Carla Sherman
Facilities: John Elliott
Information: Deirdre Sullivan
Lending: Moira Danehy
PR & Programming: Kate Petrov
Resources Management: Siobhan Schugmann
Board of Trustees
President
Ian Murray
Overview
The 2025-2026 Greenwich Library Board of Trustees consists of 22 members who oversee the affairs of the Library. All members of the Board must also be members of the Friends of the Greenwich Library.
New Board Members are elected by the Friends of the Greenwich Library. The Nominating Committee of the Friends presents a recommended list of Trustees to be voted on at the Annual Meeting of the Friends each May. Trustees serve a three-year term and may serve for two consecutive terms. A Trustee may be re-elected after being off the Board for at least one year. Elections are staggered, with approximately a third of the Trustees elected each year. The officers of the Library for the ensuing year are elected by the Board of Trustees at the organization meeting of the Trustees immediately after the Annual Meeting of the Friends.
Board Members
Why I Serve
Growing up in Greenwich I spent countless hours at the Greenwich Library and believe it to be a great institution that plays an important role in the community. With the growth of the internet and mobile digital content, the role of libraries is changing. Greenwich Library is advanced in its thinking about these changes and has plans to transform itself in order to retain its position as an important institution and community center. I look forward to assisting in the formation and execution of these plans.
Why I Serve
The library has been a part of my family’s life for over 25 years – a place where we have learned, been entertained, gathered with friends and family during town blackouts and quietly enjoyed a good book. Each visit was made memorable by the friendly staff and the exceptional programs. I look forward to serving on the Board as this irreplaceable institution implements its new vision and expands its services in the Greenwich community.
Why I Serve
My and my husband’s families have had a presence in Greenwich since the 1950’s, and the Greenwich Library has always been important aspect of their community life. Libraries have evolved significantly over that time, but technological advances will fuel even more rapid change going forward, as my children grow up in the community. It is an honor to be able to work with the Greenwich Library, and all of its stakeholders, at a critical time in its evolution, as it transforms from a place that lends books to a community center that fosters life-long learning, culture, and enrichment.
Why I Serve
I grew up in Greenwich and went to Greenwich Country Day School and Greenwich High School. The Greenwich Library was my “home away from home” as a child and I have many fond memories of time spent studying and doing research for papers and projects there. The cafeteria in the basement was one of my favorite restaurants in town and my family would go there on a regular basis. My wife, who is an art historian, raves about the quality and selection of reference books and she uses the library extensively. As the world changes technologically, I would like to help figure out how to keep the Library relevant, accessible and as important to the next generation as it was to me.
Why I Serve
The New York Public Library played a significant role in my childhood. My sisters and I spent every Friday afternoon in the library, selecting a stack of books to sustain us through the coming week. We developed a special relationship with the librarians in the children’s section, and their efforts resulted in a lifelong love of reading and learning for all of us. It has been wonderful to share the same experience with my children at the Greenwich Library – in fact, I think the Library was the first place in Greenwich that I truly felt at home when we moved here in 2013. I feel privileged to be able to support the Library as it fosters my children’s and our community’s intellectual and cultural engagement.
Why I Serve
When my husband and I moved to Greenwich 20 years ago, one of the first things we did was to sign up for our library cards. After we became parents, the library was how we exposed our children to the joys of reading and cultivated their curiosity, where we checked out mountains of picture books and later novels and nonfiction, where we checked out books to plan our family vacations, and where we signed up for countless community programs. As I write this, there is a large bag of (overdue!) cookbooks in the back of my car and my children are at the library studying for exams. My mother-in-law was involved in the library for more than 20 years, and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve this institution that has meant so much to three generations of my family.
Why I Serve
As a 22-year resident of Greenwich and an avid reader, the Library has long been a part of my life and my family’s life. I am deeply impressed by the scope and quality of the programs and the vital role the Library continues to play in our community. I look forward to serving on the board during this exciting new phase in its history.
Why I Serve
I serve because Greenwich Library is more than a place for books — it’s a vital public space that brings our community together. It’s where curiosity, connection, and learning are available to anyone, at any age. Supporting the Library is my way of giving back to a town that has given so much to me and my family, and helping ensure the next generation has the same opportunity to discover, explore, and grow.
Why I Serve
A library is the essential repository of human knowledge and culture and there is no better example than Greenwich Library. Serving on this board is one of the highest callings in our volunteer community and I am honored to join the board as it undertakes a major project of renewal and expansion.
Why I Serve
I have always felt that the Greenwich Library is a phenomenal and responsive resource in our community. From the newest technological infrastructure to the latest bestseller; I have always highly recommended the Library to friends and students. As an early childhood educator, fluent in Spanish, I am eager to assist the Library in addressing these areas and others.
Why I Serve
Since elementary school, I have been a big fan of Greenwich Library beginning in their Children’s Room. Now in addition to checking out books and music, my family and I frequent the Flinn Gallery exhibits, Friday Films, and book talks. Greenwich Library has evolved to remain a relevant resource and is truly Greenwich’s community center. I am honored to serve on its board.
Why I Serve
One of my first jobs as a teenager was shelving books and helping out around my local public library. That experience not only reinforced a lifelong love of reading and learning, but also instilled a strong and lasting respect for the role that libraries play as a community’s connective tissue. Greenwich Library provides physical and virtual access to a vast trove of educational and cultural materials, programs and services. I believe its mission is as vital and relevant as ever, particularly as technological innovation continues to impact the quantity – and quality – of content available at our fingertips.
Why I Serve
Since moving to Greenwich in 2009 our family has made frequent use of the Library. When we started we viewed it in a “traditional” sense, mainly visiting to borrow and return books. We soon realized that the Library is as much a community center as it is an information resource. Seeing the seats filled with people studying, running businesses, attending lap-sit circles with their children, using the technology resources, etc. made us realize how much the community relies on the Library. I am proud to serve as a new Board member in 2016 to help support this important resource of our town.
Why I Serve
As a Greenwich resident and active community volunteer for nearly three decades, I have a deep appreciation and high regard for the Greenwich Library staff and volunteers who have worked so hard to provide excellent resources to our town. Throughout a period of rapid technological change, our library has been a leader among its peers in responding to local needs. I am proud to do what I can to help the Library continue to provide important and much needed services to our community.
Why I Serve
My husband spent his childhood lost in the stacks of Greenwich Library while I had a similar upbringing–nose in a book–growing up in New Orleans. The ability for books to inspire, transport, or inform is a common experience regardless of location or culture. Returning to raise our three young children in 2012, the Library provided a vital anchor to the community. I forged some of my earliest connections here, sparking friendships during children’s storytimes that have lasted to this day. As a member of the Board of Trustees, I am honored to serve an institution that ensures knowledge remains accessible to all and continues to adapt & innovate to meet the needs of our diverse population.
Why I Serve
I greatly enjoy going to the Library for its seemingly infinite sources of knowledge and information. It is always a joyful learning experience for me. The Library evokes a strong sense of nostalgia in me – a deep feeling of comfort and hopefulness.
Why I Serve
When I was a young child, the Bookmobile librarian visiting my neighborhood nurtured my early love of reading. Ever since, I have frequented libraries wherever I have studied and lived. Greenwich Library is a critical resource serving all of our diverse community and I want to make my contribution to sustain and build its services to our public.
Why I Serve
Over the years, Greenwich Library has become a home away from home for my family and for me. The Library is our favorite weekend destination. My children (ages 9, 7, and 5) always walk out of the Library with a tall stack of books and smiles on their faces. Greenwich Library serves such an important role in our community, with resources and services for residents of all walks of life. I am grateful for everything that Greenwich Library has provided to my family, and I am excited to play a role in shaping the Library’s future.
Why I Serve
I moved to Greenwich in 2019 to live closer to my husband John’s office in White Plains. While researching communities to relocate to, I was intrigued by the breadth of the Greenwich Library’s programming – it was one of many Greenwich assets that convinced John and I to make Greenwich our new home. Since living here, I have become involved with the Greenwich Library as a Friends board member and as chair of the Friends Performing Arts Committee. I believe deeply in the mission of public libraries to serve as a core element of a community’s social infrastructure. Strong libraries provide the basis for community connection and access to a wide variety of literacy skills from reading to technology to the arts. When communities have vibrant public institutions, a community thrives. I am grateful to be part of the Greenwich Library board which has a long history of supporting this mission and proud to be part of the Board of Trustees to continue this tradition.
Ex-Officio Members
Joseph A. Williams, Director
Fred Camillo, First Selectman, Town of Greenwich
Hilary Martin Lea, Chair of the Friends of Greenwich Library
The Clementine Lockwood Peterson Foundation
The Foundation was established under the will of Clementine L. Peterson in memory of her son, Jonathan, and her husband, J. Whitney Peterson. Peterson Foundation trustees exclusively govern the investment plan and distribution of funds. The annual distribution is used for operating and staffing costs of the Peterson wing as well as for enhancing business and music collections and services.
Trustee Committees
Ensures aesthetic oversight of the grounds and facilities at the main building and the two branch buildings. Ensures that there is a plan for the systematic maintenance of the grounds and facilities.
Implements the private funding objectives of the Library’s three-year strategic plan. Guides Board in solicitation of funds; develops and implements plans for donor relations; is responsible for special fund-raising events; coordinates donor-related public relations efforts with the Public Information Office. Recommends for Board approval policies and procedures for the staffing of the Trustees’ Office and oversees the operations and budget of the Trustees’ Office.
The Executive Committee is composed of the officers of the Library plus such additional members of the Board of Trustees as said Board may designate. The Executive Committee exercises executive authority when the Board is not in session and reports any actions taken to the Board at its next following meeting.
Reviews the Library’s budget, which includes both Codes 701 (Town funds) and 702 (Peterson funds) and presents recommendations to the Board of Trustees for approval. Reviews the non-Code 702 lines of the Peterson Library Budget, and presents recommendations to the Board for approval. Reviews the Trustees’ Office Reserve Fund and presents recommendations to the Board for approval. Monitors expenditures against the approved budgets and reports on the Library’s financial status to the Board. Reviews the Library’s long-range planning documents to assess budget and private financing implications. Sets policy for and reviews the investment of private Library funds. Establishes and monitors internal control procedures. Oversees the annual audit. Reviews the insurance requirements of the Library and its directors and makes recommendations to the Board for approval.
Ensures that the Library has a long-range planning process. Establishes strategic goals and objectives; evaluates the progress of the Library in meeting the goals and objectives. Oversees prioritization process for system-wide initiatives.
Periodically reviews the various Library policies to assure their continued relevance and completeness. Initiates new policies as required.
Library Card 
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