Library Hires Assistant Director

From the time she was a young girl tagging along with her parents to those days in college when she worked in one for extra money, Maryann Ralph has always known that she wanted to spend her life in a library.
 
“Remembering my experiences at my hometown library, I knew I wanted to be a librarian in a public library,” she said. “I felt passionately about public libraries as unique institutions in our society and wanted to be a part of one.”
 
Ralph will be bringing that passion to the management of the as its new Assistant Director, a position she has been working toward for years. After earning her Master’s of Library Science degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Library School, she joined the West Orange Public Library where she spent 10 years, first as the teen librarian and later as head of adult services. During her tenure there it wasn’t long before she learned of the reputation of another library in the area, East Brunswick.
 
“When I was at the West Orange Public Library I was always interested in finding out what programs and services other libraries were offering the community,” she said. “Quickly I learned about the East Brunswick Public Library. I saw similarities between the demographics of the townships as well as the institutions’ cultures. I was impressed with the statistics, initiatives and the staff I met.”
 
Ralph has extensive experience in collection development, circulation services, children and teen services and library management. In addition, she is a linguist who enjoys traveling and, of course, reading. She said she’s excited about beginning her work in East Brunswick.
 
“The two newest library initiatives, the Business Resource Center and Just for the Health of It, are excellent examples of how the staff excels at anticipating their customers’ needs,” she said. “They analyze demographics and listen to their customer base and now are offering unique services that no other public library offers and that can improve their customers’ lives in a very tangible way.”
 
For those who frequent the library, Ralph’s face will become a familiar one. Since she began in February, the Assistant Director has become the go-to person for day-to-day operations of the institution. She also will work with Library Director MaryEllen Firestone to find new ways to communicate services to the community so that they can take advantage of everything the library has to offer.
 
“The position is one that can grow as I grow and as the institution changes, which is why it is such a dynamic position. I look forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead,” said Ralph.