On Saturday, Oct. 17, Bethel area residents will say goodbye to Bethel Library Director Kelcy Arciga and her family at a farewell reception.

Arciga’s last day is Oct. 23, after which she and her young family will move to Ireland to be near her mother, Lynne Belles, an Irish resident.

The 30-hour-per-week position, with a starting salary of $39,000, is open and posted on the Maine State Library website. The 1879 nonprofit Bethel Library serves people from the towns and townships of Bethel, Albany, Gilead, Greenwood, Mason and Newry.

Arciga began her position four years ago as Kelcy Boles. During her tenure, she married Alan Arciga, originally from Mexico, and the couple welcomed their son, Oscar. Those milestones unfolded alongside the growth of the library, which became a second home for her family.

“The library is still growing and to watch Oscar grow alongside it was very special,” Arciga said.

She acknowledged that she takes on a lot, but the director’s position is challenging, and she hopes the move will allow her to focus more on family.

One of Arciga’s proudest accomplishments is the increase in visitors. “More and more people used the library in the time that I was the director,” she said.

In her first report to the state, Arciga recorded 5,000 visitors to the library. During the most recent fiscal year, more than 8,500 visitors came through the doors, a 73% increase.

Other accomplishments include a $5,000 grant from the Stephen King Foundation to add books to the children’s nonfiction collection. In 2024, the library joined the Maine InfoNet Library System, which connects Bethel to 30 other libraries across the state.

“It just means there are thousands more books available to us,” Arciga said at the time. Patrons can sign up by calling the library, visiting in person or going online.

Arciga also invited multiple guest speakers to the library during her four years as director, expanding opportunities for residents to learn, connect and engage with their community.

Through a partnership with Crescent Park Elementary School, Arciga worked with school librarian Kenzie Richard to welcome students and give them all new library cards. During her recent visit to Telstar Middle School, a group of sixth graders told Arciga exactly what she wanted to hear: “We already have our library cards.”

Arciga has also expanded the Bethel Library’s “Library of Things,” giving patrons the opportunity to borrow items beyond books, including a guitar, gaming kits for chess and checkers, a cribbage kit, memory kits and a catalog of knitting needles. The library recently began collaborating with Bethel Maker Space, too.

One of Arciga’s first projects with the help of volunteers, was to turn a disorganized room on the second level into a community space. Laughing, Arciga said the room is now ready for anyone who might like to sponsor it.

Arciga’s connection to Ireland is strong. Her family moved from Salem, Massachusetts, to Ireland when she was 10, and her father is Irish. She earned her undergraduate degree in law and philosophy at University College Dublin and a master’s degree in publishing from Kingston University in the United Kingdom.

The move will bring an end to the expensive and time-consuming process of obtaining American citizenship for her husband, Alan who holds a green card.

Arciga leaves another legacy in the library’s Halloween tradition. During her first year, she welcomed trick-or-treaters with candy and free books dressed as Professor Trelawney. The following year, while pregnant, she dressed as Winnie the Pooh. Library trustees have taken on the role in subsequent years, a tradition she hopes will continue.

As Arciga prepares to leave, she reflects on the years she has spent building a library that is welcoming to everyone.

In a letter on the library website, Arciga thanked the community for allowing her to be part of the library’s story. She wrote, “A library is much more than its building or any one individual who works within it. Its strength comes from the people who walk through its doors, borrow its books, attend its programs, share their ideas, volunteer their time, and support its mission.”

Her departure marks the end of one chapter for the library and the beginning of another for the Arciga family, who will carry their Bethel memories with them to Ireland.

Look for the Oct. 17 reception details on the Bethel Library website, bethellibraryassociation.org.