July/August/September 2017

People

Mary Riley Styles Public Library

On Wednesday, August 2, Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields announced the appointment of JENNY CARROLL as Director of the award-winning Mary Riley Styles Public Library. She began her duties on this same day, the day after Mary McMahon retired after 18 years in the position. Ms. Carroll started her employment with the Library in 2007 and rose to lead the Youth Services Department in 2013. In this role, she oversaw a 60 percent growth in participation in many services, including the popular Summer Reading Program and the new “Read and Roll” bookmobile to serve at-risk children and their families. She has worked hard to build partnerships with City Schools and other City Departments to bring innovative Library programs to the public. Ms. Carroll holds a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art from Mary Washington University, a Masters of Information Sciences from the University of Tennessee, and a Masters of Social Work from New Mexico State University.

Newport News Public Library

SONIA ALCANTARA-ANTOINE is the new director of libraries and information services for Newport News as of September 18. Ms. Alcantara-Antoine brings over 10 years of experience in library management, educational programming, and community services. She comes to Newport News from Virginia Beach where she was public services manager for the library system. Previously, she worked in Baltimore. In her new position, Ms. Alcantara-Antoine will oversee a staff of 91 employees and an operating budget of $4.6 million. Ms. Alcantara-Antoine has a bachelor’s degree in English from Florida Gulf Coast University. She holds a master’s degree in library science from Florida State University and is working toward a second master’s degree in public administration from Old Dominion University. Ms. Alcantara-Antoine replaces former director Izabela Cieszynski who retired earlier this year after 34 years.

 Roanoke County Public Library

On June 5, SHARI HENRY became Roanoke County’s new director of library services. She succeeds Diana Rosapepe, who retired in December 2016 after more than three decades of service. Under Rosapepe’s leadership, Roanoke County opened new or renovated libraries in South County, Glenvar, and Vinton in recent years. The county has three other branches and approximately 100 full- and part-time employees. Ms. Henry was most recently the division chief of materials management for the Arlington Public Library in Northern Virginia. She has also held management positions in the Appomattox and Chesterfield County library systems. Ms. Henry has a master’s degree in library science from Clarion University in Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree from George Mason University. She is a graduate of the 2012 Virginia Library Leadership Academy.

 Suffolk Public Library

 On September 5, MARY HANLIN became the new Community Services Librarian in the Outreach and Program Services Department of Suffolk Public Library. She attended the University of Pittsburgh for her MLIS and earned her Master’s in English from Old Dominion University. She has worked at Tidewater Community College and served as the Web and Electronic Services Librarian at Reynolds Community College. She most recently spent time in Uganda working for the Peace Corps which whetted her passion for outreach, equity, and working with underserved groups.

APRIL WATKINS became the Early Childhood Services Senior Librarian at Suffolk Public Library on July 5. She received a Master's in Library and Information Sciences from the University of South Florida in 2011. Ms. Watkins taught Journalism in Tampa, Florida. While she has worked in both Adult Reference and Children's Services, she says she prefers working with kids because “they ask the best questions.”

KAILEE WOLTERSTORFF became the new Senior Administrative Analyst (Grants and Records Management Administration) at Suffolk Public Library on July 5, 2017. Kailee will serve as the leader, coordinator, and implementer of the City of Suffolk’s grants and records management process. In addition to receiving her Master of Arts in Public Policy with a concentration in Public Administration from Liberty University’s Helms School of Government, Kailee has her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and English from Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa. Kailee previously worked as a Development Coordinator for Hope House Foundation, a non-profit organization located in Norfolk. Her experiences working in the nonprofit industry involved fundraising efforts, grant funding, maintaining positive community and donor relations, managing the skilled volunteer program, and supervising the data and record management database.

Happenings

What, no happenings?!

Is your library building or renovating a branch? Have you received a grant for a special project? Are you working in partnership with other organizations to implement a strategic initiative? Has your library published any journal articles or developed a research project of interest to the library community? Let us know! Send your information to [email protected].

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