By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
“I always knew I wanted to do something with books, literature, or writing,” said Kristy Pasquariello, the Westwood Public Library’s new children’s librarian. “I’ve been a book person my whole life!”
Although she only recently assumed the role, Kristy brings a wealth of experience to her new position.
After studying as an undergraduate in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, she moved to Boston to pursue a Master’s degree in English Literature at Boston College. However, she realized after a semester that it wasn’t exactly what she wanted to be doing; Kristy wanted to be more involved with the public.
“I had been working at Barnes and Noble for a while during my undergraduate years and I knew that I was happiest when talking to people about books,” she said. “I started researching careers and graduate programs that lined up with these interests and found the Library Science program at Simmons College.”
Kristy focused her studies on archival work at Simmons, and she worked as an archivist for several years in places like the Harvard Business School and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. Kristy’s work in public libraries began, though, when she returned to work after having taken time off to start a family.
“As it turns out, I was placed in a children's room and I loved it,” she said. “I haven't looked back since!”
Before joining the Westwood Library, Kristy worked part-time as a children’s librarian at the Wellesley Free Library. But now that her younger daughter is in kindergarten, she decided she was ready to return to full-time work, and the position at the Westwood Library showed itself as a phenomenal opportunity.
“I am very excited to be part of this wonderful, busy staff in a vibrant community that seems to really love its library,” Kristy said.
“I came to the position excited to start doing story times and craft programs and to participate in the strong readers' advisory focus here. I'm also looking forward to working on promoting digital literacy in the library, providing parents and kids with resources for sussing out the best digital media available.”
With school visits and summer reading season approaching, Kristy has enthusiastically jumped into the position with both feet, eager to get to know the library’s patrons and the Westwood community.
