Local History

ESTHER KROEGER

Dates of Interview:
July 9, 1984

Location of Interview:
Henrietta, NY

Interviewer:
Cynthia Goldstein

Length of Transcript:
15 pages

Biographical Summary
Esther Kroeger graduated from the library school at the State University of New York at Geneseo in Geneseo, NY in 1948.  She began her library career working as a children’s librarian in public and school libraries.  In 1961, Esther Kroeger was appointed Library Director for the Henrietta Public Library, where she remained until she transitioned to a position at the Rochester Public Library in 1976. 

Interview Highlights
Kroeger speaks about her career in librarianship; history of public libraries in Henrietta, including library programming, collections, volunteer management; role of the library in the Town of Henrietta; library use and library building expansion in Henrietta.

Interview Excerpt
“The library, the whole 15 years I was here, the library was the community center in Henrietta.  Because of the kind of a town it is where there is no Main Street like in other, some other towns.  And the library being open until 9:00 at night uh, if people were out for any reason they would come to the library and get their books at the same time and they would talk to all their neighbors and you’d hear what was going on in the town.  You were, you had, you really had an ear to the ground just because people came in talked to each other.” (p. 7)

About the Henrietta Oral History Project