Longtime Youth Services Librarian To Retire From Stratford Library

STRATFORD, CT — Longtime Youth Services Librarian Tess Beck will retire from Stratford Library next month, officials announced Tuesday.

Beck, who has been with the department since July 1999, will retire April 4 after 24 years with the library.

Library Director Sheri Szymanski said Beck will be greatly missed at the library.

“Tess Beck has been an invaluable resource to our Library and the greater Stratford community,” Szymanski said. “We congratulate her on a well-earned retirement.”

Beck graduated with a Master's in Library Science from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. She was instrumental in creating numerous programs at the library that addressed child development needs and skills for new parents, including Baby Lapsit, Beginning with Babies, Babies & Beyond, Storytimes and StoryCraft programs, according to a news release.

“Known for her colorful bulletin boards and numerous art classes, Beck conducted several outreach initiatives over the years taking her storytime programs to area daycare programs and preschools,” officials wrote in a news release. “Working with current Department Head Caitlin Augusta, she also contacted local businesses and organizations to partner with the Library for its popular ‘Read Around Stratford’ program.”

She has served on Connecticut's Nutmeg Book Award Committee and ALSC (Association for Library Services to Children) Notable Recordings Committee.

Beck was also active in the Connecticut Storytelling community and was chair of the Fairfield County Children’s Librarians Roundtable for several years.

A public reception for Beck will be held in the Stratford Library Children’s Department on Monday, April 3 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The public is invited.