Larchmont Public Library Announces Retirement of Beloved "Ms. Bernadette"

The Larchmont Public Library announces the retirement of Bernadette McGuire, who for more than thirty years has worked in the Children’s Room at the library and has been known affectionately by children and parents alike as “Ms. Bernadette”.

Bernadette McGuire was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. In May of 1974, she and her husband and their four children moved from Stuyvesant Town in Manhattan to Larchmont. Larchmont provided the space the family needed and they loved its proximity to the water. Larchmont was the perfect place for the family to settle. In 1981, she began working at the Larchmont Public Library on a part-time basis on Sundays and in January of 1984 she began working full-time. Her thirty-plus year career has been spent almost entirely in the Children’s Room.

Across her years at the library, she has seen many changes take place. “Beyond the changes that have been made to our buildings over the years, the Internet has probably been the biggest change I’ve seen. The Internet has impacted everything from how we look up items, how we check them in and out, as well as how we research”, said Ms. McGuire. “There has also been tremendous growth in the number of children who are using the library and who are participating in our programs.”

Bernadette McGuire has worked with hundreds, perhaps thousands of children and their families over the years. “One of the most rewarding things for me has been to watch kids who came to the library with their families grow up and then to see them as parents in the library with their children”, she said. “There’s a great deal of joy in helping a child or their parents find what they’re looking for.”

Ms. McGuire has seen the library, and in particular, the Children’s Room, go through some challenging times as well. Said Ms. McGuire, “There was one program – the first of our annual Pink Parties – where we badly underestimated the number of pink cupcakes we would need for all the kids. So we adjusted and saved the day by cutting the cupcakes we had into quarters. After that, we made sure we always had enough. But even as hectic as all that was I still loved every minute”.

Laura Eckley, Library Director, had this to say: Its not often that you encounter someone like Bernadette McGuire. For over thirty years she’s been a part one of the most dynamic children’s rooms in the County. Bernadette has the uncanny ability to remember names. She knows hundreds of our patrons by their name and that, coupled with her easy-going, caring personality, which resonates with children, is what makes her so special. Not everyone has those abilities and while we wish her all the very best as she retires, “Ms. Bernadette” will be greatly missed”.

“Ms. Bernadette’s” last day in the library is scheduled for Wednesday, December 30th.