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head: New Children's Librarian Up To The Task Of Moving

B Y K AAREN V ALENTA

When Alana Meloni begins her new job as children's librarian at the Cyrenius

H. Booth Library on July 31, it will be just in time to face the formidable

ask of moving.

For no sooner will she settle into Shelton House at Fairfield Hills than she

will have to begin to prepare for the move back to Main Street. Fortunately,

she's had this experience before.

"I've been working as children's librarian at the Gunn Library in Washington

[Conn.] which also had a significant new addition designed by the same

architectural firm - King and Tuthill - that is doing the Booth Library," she

said. "I started in a temporary location at the Gunn Library, just as I will

here, so I get to move twice. But I'm sure it will be worth it. The new

library will be wonderful - it's a great community effort."

Mrs Meloni and her husband, Alberto, have lived in Southbury for the past five

years since he took a job as director of the Institute for American Indian

Studies in Washington.

"We met at the University of Minnesota where I was working on a degree in

urban studies - it was the 1970s - and he was doing his PhD," Mrs Meloni said.

"After we were married, we moved to Florida and lived there for 11 years."

The couple have three children: Gina, 17, a senior at Pomperaug High School;

Matthew, 14, a freshman; and Angela, 12, a seventh grader at Rochambeau Middle

School. After her youngest child was born, Alana Meloni started to work at a

child-care center where she was in charge of the infant section.

"When we moved to Connecticut, I was uncertain about what I wanted to do," Mrs

Meloni said. "Then I saw an advertisement for a part-time job as a children's

librarian at the library in Roxbury. The job really fell into my lap. I had

experience with kids, know children's literature, and had a teaching

background.

"As it turned out, I loved the job. I could do this for the rest of my life."

After spending a year at the Roxbury library, she took a job as children's

librarian at the Gunn Library four years ago and began working on a master's

degree in library sciences at Southern Connecticut State University.

"I finished in May," she said. "It took almost four years because I was

working full-time and raising three kids at the same time."

She is pleased that at the Booth Library, as at the Gunn Library, the

children's department will be on its own level, separate from the adult

departments. "That's important," she said. "You don't want to have to

constantly `shush' the children."

Since this will be her second experience setting up and operating a library in

a newly renovated facility, she has a good grasp of what will need to be done.

And while she's getting to know the community, she will get involved with

existing programs like the children's reading program which - as of this week

- has 444 children signed up to participate. Students in grades six through

eight are participating in the Middle School Madness program, a reading

incentive program with prizes donated by local merchants. Books-N-Brown Bags,

a book discussion group for middle school-aged readers, also operates during

the summer.

Pajama Time, a popular program of stories and songs, is a twilight program of

books and songs for the whole family. The children's department also operates

Story Time for children ages three, four, and five, and Toddler Time for

two-year-olds. Story Time went on the road last year, presenting library

programs at Sandy Hook School, Hawley School, Middle Gate School, Head O'

Meadow School, Trinity Day School, the Country Day School, and the Children's

Adventure Center.

During the past year, the library held workshops for children at Christmas,

Easter, and Mother's Day. More than 250 children and parents attended a

program featuring magician Steve Wronker on June 26 and 175 children signed up

for the summer reading program that day.

As the new children's librarian, Mrs Meloni is filling the position which has

been vacant since Rebecca Swensen left in January to work at the Danbury

Public Library.