CARIBOU, Maine — Hope Rumpca, who formerly served as Caribou’s Library Assistant, has become the facility’s new director.
Rumpca said she was “thrilled, excited, and slightly scared” when she learned of the city’s choice to hire her, adding that she is mostly “just very happy that there has been a smooth transition so far.”
She said she learned of her appointment in mid to late July, and that her first reaction was to “jump up and down” and profusely thank Caribou City Manager Dennis Marker for the opportunity.
“I was super excited,” she said.
Former Library Director Anastasia Weigle did not leave her post until August 13, or about three weeks after the city made their decision. Because of this, Rumpca said she had plenty of time to prepare for the responsibilities of being the facility’s director.
Rumpca found herself working up to 12-hour days during this time, as she still needed to fulfill her duties as library assistant while training.
While Weigle has departed to take on a position at the University of Maine at Augusta as a professor in their Information and Library Science program, she still regularly travels to the County to work on archives, and to a second home in Limestone.
“She was just here Tuesday of this week,” said Rumpca. “She hasn’t gone far, and she’s said from the beginning that she’s only a phone call or an email away.”
Rumpca officially began her position as director on Aug. 14, and said Weigle laid an “excellent foundation” to ease the transition.
The city also hired a new library assistant, Patricia Karpen, to take over Rumpca’s former position.
“All of us have had our heads together and are looking at upcoming events and new programs,” said Rumpca. “We’re going to celebrate ‘Talk Like a Pirate Day’ in the library and have a treasure hunt, and we’ve been spending a lot of our time hashing out new ideas for the library.”
The new director said the library offers far more than books, adding that she and library staff are able to help local residents find just about any piece of information they need.
“Don’t consider us just a repository for books,” she said. “The library is so much more than that. If you have questions about literally anything, we will either answer it or find someone who can. We’re always here if anyone needs anything.”
