Date: Fri 21-Feb-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDREA

Quick Words:

children's-librarian-Swensen

Full Text:

Children's Librarian Moves On

(with photo)

BY ANDREA ZIMMERMANN

Youngsters and their parents who visit the Cyrenius H. Booth Library will soon

realize something vital is missing - Rebecca Swensen. The children's librarian

was recently wooed away by the Danbury Public Library, which offered better

pay and benefits, job security, and opportunity for career advancement,

according to Miss Swensen.

The Newtown resident said she has enjoyed working at the Booth library for the

past two years.

"It's the friendliest library I've ever worked in - the people there are like

family. It didn't feel like I was at work - it was more like visiting

friends," she said. "I liked running into parents and their children at the

grocery store. And I liked the book sale and other events the library was

involved with in the community."

Miss Swensen grew up in Guilford, which is similar to Newtown in population

and in that it's "very friendly." She graduated from college with a bachelor's

degree in Spanish. After college she worked at Yale University's library and

began taking evening courses in library science at Southern Connecticut State

University, the only library school in the state.

Her studies were interrupted when she accepted a job as a flight attendant for

Pan Am. Eventually she returned to her studies and, in 1992, received her

master's in library science.

Her first job as children's librarian was at Queens Borough Public Library,

Bayside Branch, where she was employed for two years. Then she accepted the

position in Newtown.

"There is a real diverse group in Danbury - it's more like Queens," said Miss

Swensen, who uses her knowledge of Spanish to communicate with members of the

Portuguese community who patronize the library. In her new position she is

liaison to Head Start, responsible for children's reference area, part of an

interdepartmental team, and orders picture books. She will be offering

workshops to kids about the Internet and, in the spring, host story hour.

"It's a much faster pace," she said of her new job. "Just keeping track of the

computers in the library [is a job]. Kids can be a half an hour on some, and

one hour on the Macs... It's exciting to be working somewhere where the people

are dying to get at information."

For those who want to visit Miss Swensen at Danbury Library, her hours are 9

am to 5 pm, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday; and 1-5 pm on Sunday. But

chances are you will still run into her at the Booth Library, where she stops

on her way home from work to take out books.