Introducing the newest librarian at Peninsula Public Library in Lawrence

The Peninsula Public Library, in Lawrence, is adding a familiar face to its staff.

Henna Ross, 34, a Woodmere resident, started her career at the library as a volunteer nine years ago. Ross recently earned a master’s in library information science, and she will become a new librarian at PPL after applying for her professional certificate.

Before she got involved at the library in 2015, Ross spent the academic year at Gan Chamesh Preschool in Woodmere, working as an assistant teacher with 2-year-olds. When school was over that year, she wanted a way to occupy her time, so she volunteered at the library that she grew up visiting.

“I went there every single day of the week,” Ross said of what became her summertime routine. “Started at 10 in the morning, and most days I would stay until 5. I wanted it to be a regular job, just (to) get me out of the house.”

Ross was initially a helping hand for the summer reading program, which at the time was run by the previous children’s librarian, Carolynn Matulewicz. Later Ross took on more tasks, like organizing books on shelves and working in the children’s programs.

“She just fit right in,” Matulewicz, now the library’s director, recalled. “I didn’t have to tell her what to do — she knew what to do, and she was excellent.”

Despite her experience and her love of working with children, Ross’s personality shaded toward shy — she has a learning disability known as auditory processing disorder — and she was initially nervous about helping with programs and interacting with patrons.

“She was so quiet and timid when she started here,” Matulewicz said. “She was very reserved, and I’ve seen her come out of her shell. She’s just blossomed like a flower here.”

After a few years as a library page, Ross was encouraged by the library staff to return to school to earn a degree in library science. She was apprehensive, fearing that her disability would hold her back, but she eventually earned a degree in psychology and social work and a master’s in library information science.

“I had really great support here at the library,” Ross said. “I had teachers and professors that I became very close to that I still talk to now. They were very supportive.”

Helene Guttenberg-Menco, an adviser at Nassau Community College was particularly influential in Ross’s education. Ross would meet with her when she was taking classes there — in which Ross always did well. “She knows how to take things to the next level,” Guttenberg-Menco said. “She thinks outside of the box.”

As many of her new colleagues have seen at the library, Guttenberg-Menco watched Ross come into her own as a student.

“She went from someone who did not have a lot of confidence to somebody who is very sure of herself,” her adviser said.

“She’s always been creative, but now has blossomed even more.”

“She came to me and said, ‘I’m going for my masters in library science,’” Matulewicz recounted, “and I basically wanted to cry.”

While Ross’s certification to serve as a librarian is the capstone of her education, she has found that studying psychology has supplemented her library science degree.

“You never know what is going on at home for anyone,” Ross said. “It helps with that background. I find it’s easier to have conversations with people. I think that most people just want to feel like they belong.”

She has implemented many children’s programs at PPL, including Baby Lap-Sit, Baby Sensory and Baby Story Time and plans to continue helping young readers. “I love bringing books to children,” she said. I “like seeing the excitement on their face when they get a book.”

The people in Ross’s life do not doubt that she will be a great fit for her new position. Matulewicz and Guttenberg-Menco both said they expect her to continue making a positive impact on Peninsula Public Library.

“Even before she became a full-time librarian, she had all these ideas,” Guttenberg-Menco said. “I think that the community is really enriched because of it.”