Gerri Fegan is the new Library Teacher at West Middle School in Andover. Lynn Willey retired from the position last spring. Gerri was previously the librarian at Amesbury Elementary School.
Danielle Simon is also a new LMS at West Middle School in Andover. Danielle was at the Melrose High School formerly.
Ipswich Public Library Opens on Sunday
When the library opens its doors on Sept. 10, it will be an historic moment in the town of Ipswich, marking the first ever Sunday opening of the library, and fulfilling the dreams of every local book lover who has ever yearned for the opportunity to browse the stacks on a Sunday afternoon.
Thanks to the generosity of the Ipswich Public Library Board of Trustees, which voted last spring to finance half the $8,000 cost of opening the library on Sundays for the first year, and to the town fathers, who approved the request of library Director Victor Dyer to create Sunday hours, the library will be open on Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.
A recent survey of residents revealed strong interest in opening the library on Sundays.
The Board of Selectmen voted to fund the extra hours for the library, with the generous help of the Trustees for the first year, and that vote was unanimous, Selectwoman Ingrid Miles pointed out. "It's really about customer service to our community," Miles said. "We heard that people wanted to have [Sunday] access to the wonderful resource that is our public library and it helps to meet the needs of our busy, active citizenry."
During Sunday hours, the library will continue to be staffed, for the most part, by faces familiar to Ipswich residents. In fact, Mary Lou Murphy, who retired two years ago after nearly three decades at the library's main circulation desk, has agreed to return to help out on Sundays and is looking forward to serving many old friends. Dyer has also hired a part-time reference librarian, Emily Goodhue, for the Sundays the library is open. The library will continue to be closed on Sundays during the summer each year, and prior to any Monday holiday.
The additional hours are a bonus any way you look at it, Dyer said. "We are thrilled to be open for business on Sunday afternoons," he said. "The Trustees and I have wanted to make this change in service hours for many years. In fact, Sunday hours were one of the goals in our Plan of Service. When we conducted a survey on desirable library hours in 2001, more than 50 percent of respondents preferred additional library hours on Sundays."
Melanie Patterson is the new Library Media Specialist at Winthrop High School. The position was previously held by Mary Ann Rogers.
Maria Mastrocola is the new Supervisor of Media Services for the Methuen Public Schools. The position was previously held by Linda Friel who retired from the school system last spring.
Norah Connolly is the new Librarian at Parker Middle School in Reading. Jennifer Strom was the previous Librarian.
Brandy Danner is the new Young Adult Services Librarian at Wilmington Public Library. Nathalle Demers held the position previously.
Chris Morin is the new Library Media Specialist for Salem High School. She was previously the Head of Circulation for Salem Public Library. Lorraine Miller was the previous Library Media Specialist.
