The Chatham Board of Education has appointed Hanna Bachrach as Chatham Public Library’s new director. Following a months-long search, the Board made Ms. Bachrach’s appointment official at its January 7 meeting, effective January 8, 2025. Ms. Bachrach had been serving as the Library’s interim director since October 2024. She is an experienced library leader who is very familiar with the Chatham area and its institutions. She was Chatham Public Library’s director from 2012 to 2013 and also served as the library’s interim director in late 2022 and early 2023.
“I’ve had a great working relationship with the staff here and I really enjoy the patrons, so I’m glad to be back,” Bachrach said. “I really like the diversity of what we have to offer, and this is something we want to focus on together - continuing to build a diverse collection of programs, services, and materials that reaches everybody in the community.”
Throughout her career, Bachrach also worked for several college and high school libraries, most recently at Emma Willard School (Troy, NY), and earlier for Champlain College (Burlington, VT), Hunter College (NYC), Rudolf Steiner School (NYC), The New School (NYC), and Randolph-Macon College (Ashland, VA). She holds a Master of Library Information Science from Pratt Institute and an interdisciplinary bachelor’s degree in creative writing, sociology, and studio art from Hollins University.
She grew up in the Village of Chatham, where she lives with her family, and has been an active patron of Chatham’s library for years. She and her two daughters are all big readers.
“I really love this library and I think it is a very important center for the community. My kids are older now and I’m in a spot where I can give more of my time to the library again.”
The Board appointed Bachrach to replace Amanda Merk, who resigned as the library’s director in October 2024.
The Chatham Central School DIstrict funds and oversees operations at the Chatham Public Library, one of only two school districts in New York State to have a public library as part of its system. The Library provides patrons with a full range of modern library services through its main location on Woodbridge Avenue in Chatham and its satellite location next to the town hall in Canaan.