Former Enfield Librarian Reaching Career Pinnacle In Washington

ENFIELD, CT — As a teenager at Enfield High School in the early 2000s, Jen Van Nostrand got her first job as a page at the Enfield Central Library, and began to dream about making a career of being a librarian. Not only has she attained that feat over the past decade, she is soon to embark on a new position which will bring her to the pinnacle of her profession.

On Aug. 30, Van Nostrand will begin employment in the largest library in the world: the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The library is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and home of the U.S. Copyright Office, and contains millions of books, recordings, photographs, newspapers, maps and manuscripts in its collections.

She will be working for the Federal Library and Information Network (FEDLINK), which serves federal libraries and information centers as their purchasing, training and resource-sharing consortium.

To say Van Nostrand is thrilled about her upcoming adventure would be a severe understatement.

"My goal was always to someday work at the Library of Congress," she said in a phone interview with Patch Wednesday. "It's kind of the hall of fame of libraries, and is the epicenter of American culture. I'm still in a bit of shock that it's actually happening."

That goal began at age 15, shelving books at the Central Library prior to graduating from Enfield High School in 2005.

"Henry Dutcher was the director then, and it was an exciting time at the library, with children's librarian Kristen Frost running great programs," Van Nostrand recalled.

Dutcher said Van Nostrand's unbridled enthusiasm for the library industry was evident from her first day.

"Jen was so enthusiastic, we hired her at 15 with papers," he said. "In 2003, we received the Connecticut Library Association Excellence In Public Service award, and even though she was just a page, Jen wanted to go to the ceremony, she was so into the library. I can easily look back and think, 'there's somebody who could work at the Library of Congress,'"

After earning a bachelor's degree at UConn and a master's at the University of Pittsburgh ("the only other time I lived out of Connecticut," she said), Van Nostrand returned to the Enfield library, beginning full time in 2012.

"I was excited to return to my hometown library," she said. "I got some great education and real world experience working on the service desk."

She had stints with the Welles-Turner Memorial Library and the American Library Association in Middletown, working full-time while also holding a part-time job at the reference desk at the West Hartford Public Library. She also was a part-time substitute in Enfield.

"I never really left," she laughed. "I've had three jobs for the past seven years."

In 2019, Van Nostrand began working for the Connecticut Library Consortium, a statewide membership collaborative serving all types of libraries by helping them strengthen their ability to serve their users, save money and accomplish projects too large or costly for a single library.

Now, she's off to the nation's capital. She has found a residence there and will be moving in a few weeks. She also has some friends in the area, so she "will be seeing some familiar faces" upon her arrival in the city. She said none of it would have been possible if not for the strong support she received from her earliest days working in Enfield.

Public services librarian Lisa Sprague told Patch, "I've worked with Jen since she was our high school page, then she was our circulation assistant, and most recently our part-time reference librarian. Her enthusiasm, professionalism, and love of libraries always shines through. I'll miss her; the Library of Congress has gained a truly wonderful librarian."

Deputy Director of Libraries Katie Werth said, "Jen has been a part of the Enfield library staff for more than a decade, and it’s been a pleasure to have her on our team. During her time here, she developed a strong rapport with our staff and patrons, and I know she’ll be missed."

"It's a testament to the great group of people I worked with, who nurtured and encouraged me," Van Nostrand said.

To register for free Enfield news alerts and more, click here.