After 19 years, Ebba Hierta is retiring from her position as director of the Chilmark Free Public Library.  

Ms. Hierta, an Edgartown resident, retires on July 1 and will be succeeded by Ruth Konigsberg of Vineyard Haven. Ms. Koningsberg is the current reference librarian at the Vineyard Haven Public Library and recently switched her career from journalism to librarianship.

In Ms. Hierta’s tenure, the library transitioned into the digital age, joined the Cape Libraries Automated Materials Sharing (CLAMS) network and adapted through the Covid-19 pandemic.

Though she initially wanted to make it to 20 years, Ms. Hierta decided that the “zero on the end is meaningless.” 

“I’m not a spring chicken,” she joked. “I decided I wanted to retire and have some real quality time to enjoy my life and my partner.” 

Her proudest moments include bringing the Chilmark library into the CLAMS system, the network of 35 libraries across the Cape and Islands where resources are shared.

“We could not have gone forward and served the community being a standalone [library],” she said. “So I started that on day one in 2006 and it wasn’t until 2012 that we were able to make it happen.” 

She recalled the inventory change from VHS tapes and CDs to digital streaming options, which was made easier by joining CLAMS. 

“Keeping up with things as they change [has been] a real challenge,” she said.  

Another memorable moment for Ms. Hierta was when Alan Dershowitz, a high-profile lawyer who resides in Chilmark and has represented Harvey Weinstein and President Donald Trump, threatened to sue the library after the library did not add him to its summer speaker series list in 2022.

While Mr. Dershowitz claimed he was being censored, the library trustees said he put in his request to speak after the summer schedule had already been created. Mr. Dershowitz later sent an apology letter to the library and spoke there in 2023. 

“I learned early on in my life to stand up to bullies,” Ms. Hierta said. “He was one, and I stood up, and I’m really proud of that.” 

Along with the rest of the world, the pandemic forced Ms. Hierta and her team to make adjustments.  

“We had to rethink how we did everything and then we had to figure out how to gradually reopen and keep everybody healthy,” she said. “I relied so much on my colleagues on the Island and with CLAMS to do this in a sensible way and do it together.” 

Early retirement will be busy for Ms. Hierta, as she welcomes a new dog into her family.

“I’ve been calling it my imaginary retirement puppy because it hasn’t been born yet,” she said. “But I’ll have a puppy home by the end of the summer.”