When Kelly Fitzgerald was a 15-year-old student at Weehawken High School more than a decade ago, she was hired to work at the town’s Free Public Library as a library page.
“I did shelving, typing, the real basic stuff,” Fitzgerald said. “But I loved books and I loved to read. I think I inherited that from my parents, who were always reading. It was a great job for a high school kid to have.”
Fitzgerald loved her job so much that she remained there through her days at Weehawken High and through her undergraduate studies at Seton Hall (majoring in history). She eventually was named the assistant library director, but wanted to take it a step further.
So Fitzgerald went to the Pratt Institute in New York to gain her Master’s degree in library science, with the intent of someday becoming a librarian at the Weehawken library.
Last week, as Fitzgerald counted down the days before graduation from Pratt, the Weehawken Library Board met and voted to promote the 26-year-old Fitzgerald to the position of librarian as soon as she graduates from Pratt in two weeks. Fitzgerald needed the degree before she could hold the title and will have to be certified by the state to officially hold the position.
But the position is hers – and Fitzgerald is overjoyed by the news.
“I’m very excited,” Fitzgerald said. “The future seems so bright here. I want to be able to do so many things. I always loved working with children and coordinating children’s programs. I always thought it was a great job to have.”
Fitzgerald said that she plans to continue with her endless dedication to help promote reading to children, like the popular Harry Potter events that the library has sponsored over the last few years.
“I like to promote reading, but I like helping people even more,” Fitzgerald said. “When we have events like Harry Potter, the children really enjoy it, but the staff gets into it and enjoys it as well.”
Fitzgerald said that the role of librarian has changed immensely over the years. The days of the elderly lady with pearl-rimmed glasses, telling children to be quiet while pointing out reference materials are long gone.
“A librarian is more of an information specialist now,” Fitzgerald said. “With the advances in technology, it’s important to be able to show people how to use computers and the information that can be found on the Internet. The use of technology has only broadened the horizons of learning. We have different resources now.”
But Fitzgerald is quick to point out that the role of librarian is not limited to the computer. “Now, we still tell people how to use the Dewey decimal system,” Fitzgerald said of the old standard to locate library books and reference materials. “I can still direct people to the materials they need through the Dewey decimal. If they ask for a topic, I can direct them right to it, going right to the catalog.”
Some things never change.
Matured
Phillip Greco, the library’s executive director, has witnessed Fitzgerald grow from an eager teenager into the most influential person in the vast library.
“Kelly has been an asset to the library for as long as she’s been here,” Greco said. “I am extremely proud to have watched her start as a page and work her way up, gaining more and more responsibility every step of the way. It’s an honor and pleasure to be able to do this for Kelly. A lot of the things she does for us are unseen and unnoticed. But her dedication is endless.”
Greco said that he knew Fitzgerald was on her way to becoming the librarian when he fell ill last year and Fitzgerald took over many of the library’s operating responsibilities.
“Kelly ran the library in my absence very efficiently,” Greco said. “She’s just a great asset to us.”
Fitzgerald said that she looks forward to initiating new programs for children in the future.
“I look back on my own experiences as a youngster and the books I enjoyed,” Fitzgerald said. “We’re all kids at heart. I think that helps all of us. I think we’re trying to show kids that reading isn’t boring, that it can be fun. Harry Potter has helped that. I think those books have opened the horizons to other books that are out there. Anything that promotes reading and makes reading fun.”
And who knows? Maybe there’s a future librarian among the youngsters of Weehawken, one like Kelly Fitzgerald.