There are two new friendly faces at the George Hail Free Library, and each are excited about their new responsibilities expanding the library’s programming for kids and adults and assisting whoever may walk into the historic building at 530 Main St.

“I think what I'm excited about is just to really get programming going here for kids and teens. That's my favorite part of the job, you know, to run activities and make people happy and just do something fun,” said Michaela Hutchinson, the new youth services librarian. “So being able to do more of that, I’m really excited to get started.”

Originally from Maine, Hutchinson has been on track for a job in library services since receiving her undergraduate degree in that area of study from the University of Maine. She went on to get her master’s degree from Simmons University in Boston.

She said that when looking for jobs her top choice was George Hail, due to the allure of the East Bay area and the building itself. Now she is in charge of expanding programs and activities for children and teenagers in Warren — and she already has some ideas in mind, such as starting a teen advisory group.

“Basically I’d have them come in, we have some pizza and we get to know each other, and then they tell me what they want to do in the library,” she said. “What kind of programs they want to see, what kind of books they think I should add, maybe they want to decorate the space a little bit…Just give them the opportunity to take some ownership over the library and make them feel welcome here.”

Hutchinson said that the library and its unique aesthetic will lend nicely to certain events and types of programming.

“This library has a certain character with the stained glass windows and the archways and all the wood and stone,” she said. “It’s a place that’s cozy but we can also make it cool, and do something like Harry Potter or like a medieval-themed kind of event. Or like an idea we had for the future of making it a haunted house around Halloween and just using the charm of the building to our advantage.”

Utilizing existing resources
Although Virginia native Jill Campanella-Dysart didn’t imagine her career would wind up in a library in Warren (she originally wanted to become a religious studies professor), she is thrilled to have landed at George Hail, and is now the new adult services librarian. Prior to her new job, she spent a couple years at the Barrington Public Library before landing an internship at the Charles Whipple Greene Museum with Robin Fitzpatrick. She got her bachelor’s degree in religious studies from Randolph College and her master’s in religious studies from the University of Virginia.

Campanella-Dysart said that she had always been drawn to Rhode Island and has wanted to live here for a long time. Now that she’s at George Hail, she looks forward to helping people utilize existing resources available to them — such as the EBSCO database and the full suite of tools available through Ancestry.com, the latter of which is only accessible within the library.

“It’s a big customer service job. It’s not just for people who like to sit in a quiet space and read, there’s no time to sit and read,” she laughed.

Like Hutchinson, Campanella-Dysart said that she is excited to be in Warren due to the community’s small size, and feeling as though she has the ability to make a real impact here.

“Especially in Warren you kind of feel like you’re shaping your community,” she said. “You’re like a producer rather than just a consumer and that’s a very gratifying feeling, and in a small place like Warren you feel that almost immediately.”

Visit GeorgeHail.org to view upcoming library events and to utilize the library’s many resources.