Newton Bids Farewell To Longtime Library Director

NEWTON, MA — Mayor Ruthanne Fuller had a strong sentiment for a city employee as she departed for a new phase of her career.

Newton Free Library Director Jill Mercurio was hired by the town of Brookline earlier this month to be its public library director. Mercurio’s tenure goes back 15 years in Newton, with the last five being the facility’s leader. She began as the library’s supervisor of youth services, and quickly rose through the ranks throughout the years holding multiple positions until her appointment to director happened in 2019. Under Mercurio’s direction, the city competes with just Boston for having the busiest library in the Commonwealth. According to the city, the library had nearly 500,000 visitors, hosted more than 2,000 programs, provided computer access to over 21,000 people, lent more than 1.8 million items, and shared over 16,000 museum passes in the last fiscal year.

Fuller commended Mercurio for her passion for both the city of Newton and her profession.

“Jill (Mercurio) has a special combination of passion, compassion, strength and vision,” Fuller said. “Just as important, Jill cared deeply about her team of more than 100 people, our community, and libraries writ large. She expanded training opportunities, supported professional growth, and fostered a positive and collaborative workplace culture.”

Mercurio’s legacy as director includes a complete renovation and expansion to the children’s room, as well as the creation of the teenage area. The building itself saw solar-powered additions, expanded parking, and HVAC system upgrade. According to Fuller, Mercurio was also a driving force behind the celebration event of the library’s 150th anniversary in November.

Mercurio was selected over Cambridge Public Library Assistant Director Erin Wells for Brookline’s next director, who was the other finalist for the role. According to the Brookline Board of Library Trustees, the Brookline Library Director’s responsibilities include providing forward-thinking leadership to the institution, having strong communication with the board and library staff, streamlining library services and internal operations, preparing an annual budget for the library, implementing public programs, and hiring staff.

“It has been a tremendous privilege to serve the city and work alongside such dedicated colleagues,” Mercurio said in a statement. “Together, we navigated periods of change, expanded services, and strengthened the library as an essential community resource. I leave with great pride in what we accomplished and sincere appreciation for the people who made this work so meaningful.”

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