Pictured is Kristina Benson, director of the Ashville Free Library. In mid-August, Benson took over for Tabetha Butler who retired. Submitted photo

ASHVILLE — The Ashville Free Library has hired a new director.

Kristina Benson began as the library’s newest director back in mid-August after the retirement of the previous director, Tabetha Butler. Benson has been a volunteer at the library for 15 years and said her presence is one of the main reasons why she chose to apply for the job.

“I started volunteering because I enjoyed coming to the library with my children,” Benson said. “When they got older they came to volunteer with me. In this time I got to know Tabetha Butler, and we were very similar so she encouraged me to apply when she was preparing to retire.”

Since she began in the middle of August, Benson has been kept busy meeting patrons and learning things such as how to write grants and how to “maintain a small library with a tiny budget.”

So far, Benson said she has enjoyed her time at the helm and has already been working to improve the library.

“One of the things that I am most proud of is that I wrote and applied for a grant from the Pilcrow Foundation,” Benson said. “This grant was to get the library more children’s books. I worked with a former librarian and we were given a grant of $2,000 which made us able to get almost 70 more children’s books for the library. This is more than the amount we are able to get with our current budget.”

For Benson, being the director of the library means she has the ability to provide a common space for the community. She hopes to be able to provide both children and adults with books, DVDs and other materials that they might not otherwise have access to. Benson is also working to get to know the library’s patrons and volunteers.

“I want to create a group of volunteers who are as dedicated to the library as I am,” Benson said. “I believe the library is the heart of a community and I’m excited to be able to keep that heart beating. We see a lot of elderly people and small children in the library, and they have a real need for it.”

In the future, Benson wants to also increase the other activities that the library offers. Currently, they are offering a Lego club on Mondays from 6-7 p.m.

Benson wants to work to expand the library’s available book clubs and offer tabletop games.

Another program that Benson has planned for the future is the Book Buddies program. The program would allow for senior citizens and children to come in and read to each other and play games. Benson said this will work to foster literacy and also a connection between the two age groups in the community.

The Book Buddies program is expected to launch in March.

Benson encouraged the community to come out and visit the library.

“Reading is fundamental to being a good citizen,” she said. “Like I said before, the library is the heart of the community and by participating in it — whether that’s through donations or volunteering — you too can get involved in the community in a way that impacts people all along the spectrum.”

Even with the library playing an important role in the community, Benson said libraries in the area are still often underfunded, which is something she would like to see change.

“We show our values by what we budget for and spend our time on,” Benson said. “I think the community needs to prioritize the library.”