May 14, 2010
Q1. Tell us a little about your background, family, education and work experience.
I grew up in Newburgh, N.Y. I have three boys, a five-year-old and twin three-year-olds. I attended Villanova University, studied art history as an undergraduate, and have a master of sciences degree in information services from S.U.N.Y. Albany.
Until I retired to raise my children, I was the upper and middle school librarian at The Field School, a 300-student private school for grades 7-12 in Washington, D.C. Prior to that, I worked as a reference librarian at Vassar College.
We moved here two years ago for the schools, but I also love this community.
I’m a librarian. It was my career until my twins were born. I miss being a librarian, and I think I have a lot to offer the library board in understanding patrons, librarians and staff from the perspective of a librarian. Every aspect of the library is of interest to me, whether structural, philosophical or to do with general librarianship. I read everything, but mainly non-fiction. I find I gravitate to the non-fiction call numbers, not the call letters. My joy in reading is that I can find out about anything I’m interested in by reading more about it.
Q2. Where do you see 21st Century libraries going?
The direction of libraries is definitely “online;” whether Internet or databases, information is electronic. I learned from Pam [Thornton, director of the Chappaqua Library] last week that there are about 90 types of e-readers on the market [versions of what most people think of when they hear “Kindle”].
Librarians are especially capable of evaluating online sources to find accurate and reliable sources of information. In addition to online resources, librarians themselves arduously research and evaluate databases to select those that best suit the user population whether it’s a public, school, academic or professional environment.
The Chappaqua Library sets a very high bar for other libraries in Westchester, and plays a very important role in our community and the larger Westchester community. We have really good material in our library.
Q3. What would you do to improve the Chappaqua Library?
The children’s library is a great collection and the librarians are stellar; they know their material and are always happy to help you and your children find material. I’m in the [Chappaqua] Garden Club as well, and the library helps to sponsor activities of other organizations, to help promote greater community. For example, it would be difficult for the garden club itself to promote a children’s program, but through the library, it can happen.
I spoke with Zahra [Baird, the teen librarian], and I was surprised to find that she was the entire teen library staff and that she has no other formal assistance. If anything, we should be supporting the teen population and the teen librarian better, because it’s a critical time in children’s lives. The library programming is constant for the children’s library. The drop-off in library use seems to be in fifth grade, when children go to middle school.
As a middle and upper school librarian, I saw first-hand that the library was not a destination unless materials were needed. Of course the Internet was a draw, but I had to work hard to bring in the materials and promote the library by going to the classrooms and collaborating with teachers to coordinate bibliographic instruction sessions.
I was an active part of the junior yearlong reading and writing research paper project, in conjunction with the History Department. I brought in materials that matched the appropriate reading interests to promote active reading within the user population. Having worked at Vassar College, I can see the difference in a student who has remained an active library user and has extensive reading and writing experience.
Not to say the high school library doesn’t work to do these things, but we still need to keep the activity and interest level up at the public library as well. Services, materials, and programming are different in each setting. I feel we could work more with the schools to promote public library use. I was constantly promoting public library and librarian services to my middle and upper school students.
In my graduate coursework I took courses devoted to Children’s and Young Adult Literature, which included the need for Young Adult services as well as Young Adult literature in the library, and addressed concerns about the drop off in library usage as children age through the school years. Essentially, we need to do a better job working with our schools and community to keep our children enthused about the library as they age out of Children’s Room services. We need to bridge the gap between fourth grade reading and college, because that’s where they’re going to be spending their time in college, at the library.
I understand that the schools provide a great deal of reading support, and they have new time and space set aside in the middle schools for reading. I think there are a lot of things we can do at the Chappaqua Library to support that effort. We can enhance the young adult space, provide a designated space where teens could enjoy their programming as teens and take advantage of the programming as teens. We need staff to work with Zahra and the teens. She can provide the programming, but we need people to help with outreach, transportation, and supervision.
I also think there should be more private study rooms, not only for tutors who work with students but also for adult scholars. For example, a friend of mine is studying for the medical boards and needs quiet space to study. The two rooms at the library are regularly booked for tutors in the afternoon, but there are also adult members of our community still active in academic and professional pursuits who would find such quiet, private spaces useful.
We’re fortunate to have an amazing auditorium, but we need more parking to go along with that. It’s hard to run out of parking at times when we could otherwise pack the auditorium. I’m a member of St. Mary the Virgin. I think we can work with the neighbors on space needs. We’re all here together in the same spirit, and we can all work together in one another’s interest.
Q4. What was your reaction to the results of the survey—to see the survey results, click HERE— recently conducted by the Friends of the Chappaqua Library?
The Friends of the Library survey demonstrates that library users are overall very pleased with the services, materials and programming available at the Library. Patrons are savvy library users and clearly have a very high standard and level of expectation from our librarians and staff. Based on survey numbers, families play a significant role as Friends of the Library, with more survey responders indicating use of adult materials and programming disparate with circulation statistics that indicate children’s materials receive more circulation and there are more total children’s programs offered at the Library.
Some excellent suggestions for increased use of theater space include sponsoring more performances featuring local and regional performers with a more social atmosphere, as well as running film series with locally led discussion panels. These types of programs are consistent with the Library’s mission and commitment to increased presence in the community through diverse and compelling programs and services. These types of programs are ideal given the current economy paired with a desire to be less consumer-driven and more community centric.
Finally, it seems that more people want to donate to the Friends of the Chappaqua Library, but feel financial strain right now or would prefer to have a more concrete sense of what their donation would provide. It is important to emphasize that the virtue of giving is more important than how much can be given, and that smaller donations add up quickly!
I get the sense that more people would give if they could either specifically designate their funds for a particular use, or they had a better sense of Friends’ sponsored materials and programming. A more developed and interactive Friends web page, a prominent display at the library featuring materials newly acquired by Friends, and increased promotion of events and programming sponsored by Friends would help provide a better sense of how their funds are used to enhance our Library.
Q5. What are you reading at the moment?
I enjoy reading The New York Times online periodically throughout each day, local online newsletters and local print publications, blogs, current periodicals and general nonfiction. I also read a lot of books with my children, and enjoy expanding my knowledge base and discovering new information by actively reading every day. By that I mean if I read an interesting article that mentions a person, title, or topic that is new to me, I immediately seek more information on that particular subject.
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Copyright 2012 NewCastleNOW.org