Ann Havemeyer, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Library Staff
Ann Havemeyer has been the Director of the Norfolk Library since 2014. A native New Yorker, Ann and her husband Tom Strumolo moved to Norfolk in 1982 and raised their family on historic Maplewood Farm. Since then, Ann has immersed herself in the town’s history and has served as assistant town historian and curator of the Norfolk Historical Society, where she helps mount exhibitions. Ann earned her doctorate from Yale University in the History of Art, specializing in 19th century American architecture, and was thrilled to be able to oversee the historic restoration of the Library in 2015, the addition of a new ADA-compatible entrance to the building, and the recent renovation of the Children’s Room.
Leslie Battis
Assistant Director, Technical Services
Originally hailing from Salisbury, Leslie Battis worked as a librarian in the Reference Library at the University of Connecticut while she was earning her graduate degree in English. Settling in Norfolk, she was fortunate to work remotely as a technical editor for the Swedish firm Schneider Electric while her daughter, Lydia, was growing up, and the family enjoyed many visits to Sweden during that time. Now she has returned to her library roots and, in addition to user services, she helps manage the Library’s large non-fiction collection. Leslie loves to garden, play pickleball, and read with her cat Nick by her side. Her favorite genre is books.
Eileen Fitzgibbons
Children’s Services/Events Coordinator
Eileen Fitzgibbons grew up in Manhasset, Long Island. She received her degree in Education and Philosophy at the University of Dayton, Ohio, and, after a stretch of teaching positions, Eileen found herself missing the East coast and her family. Luckily her brother owned a “ski “ house in Norfolk, and she packed up her pickup and in 1980 moved to town. Eileen enjoys a dual position as the Children’s Librarian and the Events Coordinator. She especially loves to create unique events like the Greenwoods Puppet Festival, A Teddy Bear Sleepover, and the Winter Lantern Walk that foster enchantment and connection between families and the Library. Her favorite things are walks in the woods, swimming, bonfires, and her family. Eileen is a champion of all things magical.
Laurie Foulke-Green
Circulation Services
Laurie Foulke-Green splits her time at the Library between the upstairs and the downstairs, cataloging library materials and working at the circulation desk. She has a small obsession with genealogy research and enjoys assisting patrons with their family history. Laurie grew up locally and graduated from Northwestern CT Community College with a degree in Fine Arts and Science. She was a librarian and trustee at the Sandisfield Library for 8 years and worked with Colebrook historian Robert Grigg cataloging old documents from a local family. She lives in Sandisfield, MA, with her husband George. They have two grown children: Will and Alexandra. She enjoys fishing with her husband and hand-feeding chickadees and titmice, who come when she calls!
Christopher Keyes
Circulation Services
After earning a degree in English and History from the University of Connecticut, Christopher Keyes worked as a chef before joining the Library in 2010. Chris will tell you that Ray Bradbury made him a reader when he was ten, and that Philip K. Dick changed him forever with his book ‘Valis’. Later still came books by Walker Percy, Michael Herr, John Irving, Michael Chabon, Marilynne Robinson, and, most recently, the highly addictive weirdness of Haruki Murakami. He is presently living with felines named Marlon Brando and Beanie Cat. Other things that matter: family and friends, the great outdoors, and the photographic image in all its forms. If asked, Chris prefers film over digital, and beer over wine (except when Bordeaux or a nice fat Brunello is being served).
Hannah Silverman
Rare Book Collections
Hannah Silverman grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. After she moved north, her interests shifted from art to independent film. Film-crew work led to a position as a Technical Instructor in the Film/Video Section at MIT. She settled in New York City in 1982 and earned an MA in Media Ecology at NYU. By 2010, with her child in college, she bought a weekend house in Norfolk and completed a MLIS in Archives and Records Management at the Palmer School of Library and Information Science, while doing homework with her dog Simon at the Norfolk Library. Most recently, she served as Digitization Project Archivist for the JDC Archives in New York. In addition to Circulation Services, Hannah manages the Rare Book Collections at the Library.
Bina Thomson
Community Outreach Coordinator/Children’s Services
Bina Thomson graduated from West Chester University in Pennsylvania, earning a degree in English literature, with a focus on children’s literature and a minor in creative writing. A poet and avid reader of all genres, Bina cites “The Sun Also Rises” as her favorite novel, and she finds the poetry of Wendell Berry, T. S Eliot, and Lucille Clifton the most moving. In addition to community outreach through social media and town partnerships, Bina’s responsibilities at the Library include circulation and children’s services. She is passionate about sourdough bread and good coffee. A transplant to Connecticut, she loves learning about local history, spending as much time outdoors with her dog as possible, and cooking with her husband.