ALTAMONT — Altamont Free Library Director Judith Wines is leaving Altamont and moving on to a new position, after overseeing the library’s transition from a bank to a masonic hall to its proud place in the village’s train station.

“This is my 10th year in Altamont. I have adored this job,” Wines said. “I wasn’t entirely ready to leave, but the time was right.”

Wines will replace director Judy Felsten at the RCS Community Library in the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk School District. Wines said that Voorheesville and Ravena are the only two medium-sized libraries in Albany County, and both had longtime incumbent directors. When Felsten announced her retirement, Wines, an Albany resident, applied for the job, she said.

“You have to apply when the job opens up,” she said.

Her position in Ravena will differ significantly from the post in Altamont.

“I’m very much a jack-of-all-trades,” she said of her work here, “from buying toilet paper to drafting budget letters.” Ravena, she said, has a larger professional staff.

Funding will also differ, as RCS is a public library, like the ones in Voorheesville or Guilderland, which levies taxes.

“The funding source isn’t nearly as unpredictable [in Altamont],” she said. Altamont’s is a free library, like the ones in Berne and Westerlo; free libraries can’t levy taxes but depend on private donations as well as monies from the state, town, and village. Line items for the library can be removed or reduced annually, Wines said.

“A good librarian responds to the need of the community,” Wines said. “I’m excited to find out in Ravena what works for Ravena.”

Wines said that Altamont has “a great staff and a great board.” The village library offers events like monthly potlucks and bird walks with local experts, she said.

“I feel so lucky to have worked with a fabulous board,” she said.

Wines is proud of the work involved with Altamont residents in the seven-year process of moving into the historic train station after cramped conditions in the basement of the KeyBank worsened after flooding caused by Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. The effort included “fundraising, community work, and community cohesion that came together for this building,” she said.

The library board will meet this week to discuss filling Wines’s position.

"We were heartbroken. She was our guiding light" during the renovation, said Sally Dague, the president of the library’s board of trustees. "She made the library a warm and welcoming place."

“We’re going to miss her terribly,” agreed library Trustee Pat Spohr. “The whole board was totally shocked and surprised. We knew the time probably would come when she moved onto another position. We are glad for her. She has done so much.”

Wines’s last day in Altamont will be Oct. 10. She will begin her new job on Oct. 14.

“Our staff will keep the library open and running,” Spohr said. The board may decide this week whether or not to appoint an interim director.

“We will be establishing a search committee,” she said.

Wines chose to come to Altamont, rather than take a job at the office of the state comptroller. Her epiphany, she said, came when she had to decide to “work in a cubicle, or read stories to kids. Getting to know the kids in the community was fabulous. Watching kids grow up has been amazing.”

Wines said that seeing the village raise funds and “put your money where your mouth is” has been a humbling experience.

“It’s been tremendous working in a community that values its library,” she said.