East Hampton Library Board Appoints New President

The East Hampton Library’s Board of Managers has appointed a new president—a woman who started volunteering at the library 24 years ago.

At that time, in 1991, Sheila Rogers began her journey at the library because she asked about a computer that had a dark screen.

“I was kind of interested about seeing what this computer thing was about,” said Ms. Rogers, who had experience with computers from working at law firms in New York City. “They said that someday we would have a whole catalog on the computer, and people could use it.”

The staff told her that they were going to computerize the card catalog system by themselves. Ms. Rogers offered to help computerize the details of the library’s 65,000 books, a process which took two years to complete. “I thought it would never get done,” she said. Since then, she has worked at the library both as a volunteer and as a paid employee.

Ms. Rogers explained that her love of libraries started when she was a young girl. “Libraries have always been important in my life,” she said. She spent a good chunk of her days at the Brooklyn Public Library, as she lived right near the main branch, and called it her haven. “For me, it was just easy to transfer that connection from libraries in New York to libraries here,” she said.

Over the years, with her help, a reference library staffed with full-time reference librarians was created, and there is now a greater number of staff. The library is now also open at night.

More than a decade ago, Ms. Rogers also founded Authors Night, and she now serves as its co-chair, along with Executive Director Dennis Fabiszak.

“The board thought I was misdirected and that no one would want Authors Night,” Ms. Rogers said, adding that they did not think people would open their homes for dinner parties and host people they did not know. “And, here it is, 11 years later, and it is a really wonderful event that I never have any trouble getting hosts to participate in. It is the prime fundraiser for the library,” she said, noting that Authors Night raises about $250,000 every year.

“I think everybody really appreciates the work that she does,” said Mr. Fabiszak. “I think she will be an excellent president.”

Ms. Rogers said she has a lot that she hopes to achieve at the library in the coming years, especially meeting the needs of everyone in the East Hampton community.

“We have a new committee that is more to welcome our new neighbors from other countries and to make sure we are meeting their needs in the library, to make sure we have programs that they want to attend, and that their kids want to come to,” she explained. She added that she hopes to strengthen the board and add new members who have a new kind of energy and new perspectives.

“I feel like I’m involved with two of the best organizations in East Hampton that meet the needs of the community—one in health care and the other in education,” said Ms. Rogers, who also has a full-time job as director of the East Hampton Health Care Foundation, and now, as president of the Board of Managers, is once again a library volunteer. “I will be busy.”