The new director of Bill Memorial Library in Groton more than doubled annual circulation at the previous library where she worked, largely by expanding programs and collections for young adults.

Wendy Connal, formerly the reference and young adult librarian at Acton Public Library in Old Saybrook, also worked with technology and developed a love of books at a young age.

She can recall climbing into a cabinet with a flashlight, record player, record and matching book before she even knew how to read.

She'd put on the record, listen to the story, and turn the page at the sound of the chimes.

Connal, 48, is named after a character in a book - when she was born her sister was reading "Peter Pan," and Connal's first name became "Wendy" instead of "Elizabeth".

Connal lives in Preston, and is still learning about Groton's wants and needs regarding its library. She started as director of Bill Memorial on Oct. 14, taking over for longtime director Hali Keeler, who retired after 35 years with the library.

"I've been kind of thinking about technologies," Connal said. In Acton, she wrote grants that brought in more than $18,000 for a mobile computer lab with 20 laptop computers. She also taught technology classes and ran a twice weekly program for job seekers.

She worked with young people ages 12 to 18, bringing programs to schools, teaching subjects like job interviewing, and pairing technology-savvy teenagers with adults to teach about computers.

"I have a soft sport for young adults," Connal said.

"What I see us doing as a team is kind of finding our niche and doing it well," she said of Bill Memorial Library. "We have to work within the constraints of a small budget and small space."

Bill has a budget of a little more than $200,000 and a staff of five, including her.

The Acton library building in Old Saybrook is almost five times the size of Bill Memorial, and had a circulation of roughly 149,000 during the 2012-13 fiscal year. Bill Memorial's circulation during the same time was 25,100, she said. But the community library appealed to her and she enjoyed interviewing with the library trustees, she said.

"We have a very active board," she said. "They take care of the grounds, take care of the annual appeal. They're very hands-on and very organized and very friendly."

Connal, of Preston, earned a masters degree in library science from Southern Connecticut State University in 2004, and was initially on a track to teach. She student-taught for a semester at Wheeler Middle school in North Stonington, then worked for about a year in the media center at East Lyme High School before leaving work after adopting her daughter.

She returned to the workforce when her daughter was about 8 years old, taking the job in Old Saybrook.

During the 2012-13 fiscal year, she offered 30 young adult programs, and more than 460 attended. She also instituted a young adult advisory board to seek input and participation from young adults.

"It seems like a lot of libraries do a lot with younger kids," Connal said. "And then it kind of falls off when the kids reach young adulthood."

D.STRASZHEIM@THEDAY.COM

@DSTRASZHEIM