After almost forty years, Library Director Martha Hutzel will retire from the Central Rappahannock Regional Library (CRRL) on Sept. 30. Hutzel was appointed director in 2016 after several prior positions at different library branches, including branch manager and head of circulation.
Hutzel said she was inspired to become a librarian “by [her] mother, who is still living at 102, and by [her] father, both of whom loved books and reading and set that example for their 13 children.” After completing chores on the dairy farm she grew up on, she and her siblings were allowed to read whatever they wanted. In the 1980s, Hutzel moved to Fredericksburg and immediately got a library card and part-time job at the Fredericksburg location. She said the staff “welcomed me with open arms and I fell into them.”
After working part-time for several years, Hutzel decided to pursue her Master’s in Library Science and work full-time. “That was when I really stepped into my love of CRRL and the career of librarianship. I had wonderful mentors at CRRL a few decades back and they had a very positive influence on my career.”
Hutzel said serving as President of the Virginia Library Association, a professional library association with 9,000 members, opening IdeaSpace on Princess Anne St., and opening a library branch inside the Spotsylvania Towne Centre have been highlights in her career.
The advent of technology over the decade changed how librarians work and serve customers, but Hutzel said they still offer “the face-to-face human interaction that so many customers come into the library to find.” The cataloging system, CRRL website, and publicly accessible catalog have all been online for decades, she added. The library has also added non-book offerings like e-books, e-audiobooks and e-magazines. Hutzel said the library also has circulated Wi-Fi hotspots and Chromebooks for free, “Tech on the Go: kits and craft kits.
Hutzel is looking forward to spending time with her seven grandchildren and traveling. The library’s Board of Trustees will conduct a nationwide search for Hutzel’s replacement.
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