New library leader comes from within

The search for the Peninsula Public Library’s new director took the Board of Trustees two months, as they sorted through an initial list of nearly 20 candidates. They winnowed the group to eight and then interviewed the top four.
But the person they ultimately selected to replace Arleen Reo, who retired in May, had been sitting barely three feet away from the director’s office all along. Karen Porcella, a Lawrence resident for more than 30 years and the library’s assistant director since 2007, was named its the director at the library board’s June 21 meeting.
Porcella’s appointment came within the end-of-June time frame that former board President Joel Schiff set when Reo stepped down. (Joan Lepelstat, who was the board’s vice president, became its president on July 1.)
“She seems to be very skilled in helping patrons, is very customer-service-oriented, knows our operation, gets along well with her fellow employees and understands the community,” Schiff said.

Steeped in library experience — she worked at the Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library from 1985 to 2007 before coming to PPL — Porcella described herself as an avid reader. Her tastes range from British literature to science fiction.
She said she views the library as a reflection of its community and as a place where patrons should be at ease. “I’ve always felt that it’s a place where everybody can go and feel welcome,” she said. “It’s a mirror of the community you’re in and it’s welcoming to everyone.”
As a child growing up in Flushing, Queens, Porcella spent a lot of time in her neighborhood library and in its Jamaica branch, where she conducted school research and soaked in the library environment. “It’s nice to have conversations about books and reading; you have a sense of camaraderie with fellow readers,” she said. “It’s also a safe haven. If you’re having a bad day, you can go to the library, pull a book from the shelf and be transported to another place.”
After graduating from SUNY Albany in 1977, Porcella worked for a year as a researcher for Grey Advertising in Manhattan. She then returned to Albany and earned a master’s in library science in 1980. For three years she was the assistant librarian for the American Institute of CPAs in its Manhattan office, which has a large library that is used by members and accounting students. She has been married to Roger Porcella, a Cedarhurst native, for 32 years. They have two grown children.
At the Hewlett-Woodmere library, she was promoted from part-time reference librarian to assistant head of technical services, then to head of the Readers’ Advisory and Reference services. Her technology background has helped PPL expand its services to include a self-checkout machine, text messages when books are due, books that patrons can download to their eReaders, an emailed newsletter and a social networking presence. “We will send out email blasts when there’s something new and exciting,” Porcella said. “The library hasn’t been just books for a long time.”
Books are, of course, a vital component of the library, and among patrons who are avid readers, Porcella’s assistance and her love of books rate high. Sharryn Friedlander, who grew up in Cedarhurst and has lived there for the past 12 years, said she reads three books a week and counts on Porcella’s help in selecting them — along with her twin sons’ high school reading assignments. “I find her to be very knowledgeable, helpful and committed to making the library a comfortable place for everybody,” Friedlander said.
Marcy Taback first met Porcella, who values her relationships with patrons, when she used the Hewlett-Woodmere library. A PPL patron for 34 years, Taback considers its new director a friend. “She has helped countless times and always went that extra mile,” Taback said. “Her expertise and knowledge in her field is her passion, and she imparts this in the ways she relates to the patrons of the library and to those of us who also call her friend.”
Porcella hopes to extend the library’s connection to the community by increasing the number of joint programs with the Lawrence school district and the private schools in the area, continuing to expand its use of technology and working toward finding a new building. “I enjoy learning something new every day,” she said, “and the library is a vibrant, growing place, and that’s the exciting part of my job.”

Peninsula Public Library by the numbers
 Total items loaned in 2011: 344,652
 Library visits in 2011: 215,436
 Library district population: 34,000
 Registered resident borrowers: 15,339
 Number of programs, July 1, 2010-June 30, 2011: 369