Canton Public Library Bids Farewell to Sarah Scheidel McCusker

After more than five years at the Canton Public Library’s Head of Technical Services Sarah Scheidel McCusker is headed to Windsor Public Library.

She leaves for a larger facility and expanded job responsibility but is going with mixed feelings.

“I think the community here is really special,” McCusker said but added that career wise “it’s the right step at this time.”

Late last week, McCusker’s co-workers, library board members and some members of the public came out to say goodbye.

McCusker was responsible for much more than her title suggests. In addition to helping with technical problems at the library, she ordered nearly all the adult materials, catalogued titles, helped in various spots when needed and taught classes, including e-readers help and a popular tech topics for seniors effort. She also helped spread her love of knitting, evidenced by the yarn bombing at the library this past summer.

“She’ll be very hard to replace,” director Rob Simon said. “She knew how to do everything.”

McCusker, a 1996 Lewis S. Mills graduate, has worked in libraries since her school days, volunteering in Burlington and later working a “page” while in high school. She remembers typing catalog entries on index cards with a typewriter.

She worked at a library while attending the University of Rochester. She received a Master of Library Science from Southern Connecticut State University in 2005 and from 2003 to 2007 worked at Burlington Public Library, serving as Assistant Director and Adult Services Librarian.

In Windsor, McCusker will be head of reference and technical services.