Schenectady library director prepares to retire as expansion wraps up

PHOTOGRAPHER: Bethany Bump

With the long-awaited expansion of the Schenectady County Public Library nearly complete, longtime library Director Andy Kulmatiski is ready for retirement.

It’s been 10 years in the making, and Kulmatiski is confident that by the time construction wraps up at the end of July, he and the library staff will be ready to move on to the next step.

For him, that’s retired life.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” he said Wednesday. “Now with the building project basically done, it seems like a good time for the future to move in. And for me personally, it’s time to get outdoors and play a little more.”

The 63-year-old Glenville resident has worked at the library in many capacities for 38 years. He has served as director for the past 10 years and had plans to retire a while ago but wanted to see the expansion project through to the end.

Kulmatiski informed the Board of Trustees of his retirement plans in May.

His position is being advertised on the county website and lists management and administrative responsibilities that range from developing policies and operational procedures to preparing budgets. Candidates need at least eight years of experience working in a library and a master’s degree in library science, information services or an equivalent degree.

A search committee will vet applicants beginning June 29. The committee includes library Board of Trustees President Esther Swanker and County Manager Kathleen Rooney.

The $3.5 million expansion that has kept part of Lafayette Street coned off will open up 6,700 square feet of space for the library’s children’s collection and a room for teen programs. It will also make more room for its adult fiction collection inside the current structure, which was built in 1968 for $2 million.

Shelves within the library have been at capacity for years, but work on the two-story addition didn’t begin until more than a decade of proposals and designs had been reviewed and public meetings held.

Finally, in May 2011, construction began. It was slated to wrap up by the end of this month. Kulmatiski said the extra month of construction shouldn’t be a problem given that the project has remained on budget.

“That’s why I wanted to stay on until the expansion was done,” he said. “It’s been such a long process getting to this point, and now we’re right on the verge. And there’s still plenty of new projects on the horizon.”

Kulmatiski said that after nearly four decades on the job, the idea of retired life hasn’t quite settled in yet.

“I think it’s rare that somebody has a career in one place for so long,” he said. “It’s been wonderful to see so many changes at the library — from the old card catalogue to the automatic catalogue now. But for me, one of the downsides was working indoors. So I look forward to being able to spend more time outside and travel and see my grandson, of course.”