An era ends at the Morristown & Township library, as Maria Norton calls it a career

By Kevin Coughlin

Morristown’s version of the Unsinkable Molly Brown has called it a career.

Maria Norton, survivor of two massive explosions during 48 years at the Morristown & Township Library,  worked her last day there on Monday.

The retiring director, who started as a library page in 1967 when she was a high school freshman, also lived through a lawsuit by a homeless man that made global news, and was present for major expansions in 1987 and 2006 that doubled the library’s size.

Norton adapted and evolved with titanic advances in library technology. She has managed to add programs since becoming director in 2010,  despite a shaky economy that has decreased funding by about $500,000.

“It’s a very interesting place to be,” said the soft-spoken Norton, 62.

Or rather, it was interesting. Now, she looks forward to spending more time with her five grandchildren and –what else? –reading, in Chester, where she resides with her husband, John.

When Norton started working at the library, she had about a one-minute walk from her family’s Pine Street home. After earning a graduate degree in library science from Rutgers, she became a children’s librarian. Over the years in Morristown, she has worked for four different directors, who all impressed her with one overarching lesson:

“Customer service. Patrons are always the reason you get up in the morning,” said Norton, who oversaw a $3 million budget and about 50 full- and part-time employees.

“I’m proud of our staff, and proud of the people who come here. We’re all working for the same goal: Making Morristown and Morris Township the best places to be. I think we succeeded.”

BAPTISM OF FIRE

Norton’s leadership skills were tested immediately as interim director of the library, which was rocked by a basement explosion in May 2010, just as she was preparing to take over from retiring Director Susan Gulick.

Astonishingly, nobody was injured. Norton and her staff spent months delivering services from assorted locations while the building was closed for repairs.  It was nearly two years before it reopened completely.

 

Video: ‘It has to stop.’ Maria Norton on morning of 2010 explosion.

The cause of the blast–like the cause of a 1994 explosion that shut down the library for six weeks–never has been disclosed.

“Things got resolved. I don’t think any conclusion was drawn. It just got settled” by insurance companies, she said of the 2010 blast.

Gas and electric lines have been reconfigured.

“The goal was to not have this happen again,” Norton said of the explosions. “I think it won’t happen again. I’m pretty sure it won’t.”

 

SAFE HAVEN, WITH RULES

As the county seat for Morris County, Morristown is home for many agencies serving needs of the homeless and disadvantaged. Increasingly, the library has become a daytime haven for those with nowhere else to go.

This has brought challenges.  In 1992, a homeless man named Richard Kreimer garnered worldwide publicity when he successfully sued the library.

Kreimer alleged his rights were violated when the library expelled him over concerns that his stares and body odor irritated patrons. The library’s insurance company settled with Kreimer for $80,000.

But people have forgotten that the library then won an appeal, vindicating its actions, Norton said.

“To know that we hadn’t done anything wrong was tough. But we prevailed,” she said.

Diversity is Greater Morristown’s greatest strength, Norton added, and the library strives to serve the entire community.

“You treat everyone with respect. Everyone comes in with different issues… but you have to be firm. Everyone has rules to abide by, and that’s it,” Norton said.

The library’s role, meanwhile, keeps changing.

“We’re definitely doing more outreach programming. We’ve become more of a community center. People come for programs, not just for books, and that’s all good.”

There are books clubs for 7-year-olds, and computer training sessions, and a Downton Abbey Support Group, and re-creations of old-time radio shows, and screenings of movies ranging from cult “classics” like Sharknado to Russian indie films.

With help from the Friends of the Library — volunteers who raise funds via never-ending book sales — the library presented 833 programs last year, drawing nearly 20,000 people.

And patrons borrowed nearly 242,200 items, including DVDs, CDs, e-books and audio downloads in 2014.

Back in 2008, Norton’s willingness to try new things extended to a new community venture–MorristownGreen.com–when she and her colleagues hosted a red-carpet evening to introduce our first Morristown Green Film Festival.

The staff even agreed to perform a Hamlet send-up for our first festival video trailer.

‘CRYING INSIDE’

Staff greeted Norton’s departure with mixed emotions on Monday.

“It’s a happy day for Maria,” said Joanne Fattrosso.

“But we’re all crying inside,” said Mary Lynn Becza.

Chad Leinaweaver, recruited from the Newark Public Library by Norton to be her assistant director, will serve as interim director until the trustees choose a permanent successor.

“He’s a great guy,” Norton said. “He could handle what we do here. He’s brought a lot of interesting programs to the library.”

Leinaweaver, who is applying for the position, said he admired Norton’s modest demeanor,  and marveled at how her advice and vast experience are prized by Morris County’s library community.

“People start asking questions at meetings, and they look to Maria,” Leinaweaver said.

Norton said her biggest thrill has been interacting with both new- and familiar faces every day, and helping them discover things.

Whoever succeeds her must grasp a few essentials, as they were impressed upon her:

“They need to know this is a wonderful place, with a wonderful staff and wonderful patrons,” Norton said.

Distilled, that boils down to:

“Listen. And deliver.”