Karen Tatarka, Library Director, Moving On

Karen Tatarka, 2018 photo, M.S. Wirtenberg

The Weston Public Library Board of Trustees announced today the resignation of director Karen Tatarka, who has accepted a position as the director of the UConn Hartford Library.

Ms. Tatarka has led the Library since 2011, except for a brief stint elsewhere in 2017. Her last day in Weston will be July 8.

In their announcement, the Trustees hailed Ms. Tatarka for having “dedicated herself tirelessly to the Weston Public Library and the community,” citing her successful pursuit of grants and donations and managing two major renovations, one in 2016 and one last year.

“Karen has made a tremendous contribution to Weston, and she will be sorely missed,” said Anne Hunt, the Board’s chair. “But the opportunity to move on to UConn is simply too good to pass up. We are grateful for her service and leadership. She leaves the Library stronger than ever, and we wish her continued success in her professional career.”

The Trustees also hailed Ms. Tatarka for maintaining critical services during the pandemic, “prioritizing the health and safety of staff and patrons all while maintaining the highest level of programming, offering continual access to the collection, and meeting patron needs at an extremely high level.”

The Board noted that during the years of Ms. Tatarka’s leadership, program attendance at the Library increased by 91 percent, circulation grew by 37 percent, and use of the building rose by 21 percent.

The Trustees have formed a search committee to hire a new director.