WRL Director Named "Public Library Director of the Year"

Williamsburg Regional Library Director Named
"Public Library Director of the Year, 1997"

PATSY J. HANSEL, Public Library
Director of the Year, 1997

Patsy J. Hansel, Director of the Williamsburg Regional Library since 1989, was named Virginia's first Public Library Director of the Year by the Virginia Public Library Directors Association at its annual meeting in May.

"The Williamsburg Regional Library has a staff that works long and hard to provide the best public library service possible for our community. I think this award indicates that their work is noticed and appreciated by their peers across the state," Hansel said.

This past year has been a particularly busy one for the Williamsburg Regional Library, with the opening of the James City County Library in July, and the beginning of work on the construction/renovation project at the Williamsburg Library in December. VPLDA named James City County Library the best new library building among medium-sized libraries in the state. WRL also won awards for children's and young adult programs.

Hansel worked in libraries in North Carolina for 15 years before being named director of the Williamsburg Regional Library. She has an undergraduate degree in history from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, a master's in history from Wake Forest University, and a master's in library science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has held elective positions in library associations in both North Carolina and Virginia, and has published a number of articles focusing on library management issues. She lives in James City County with her husband, James J. Govern, a furnituremaker.