Meet The Library's Circulation Manager

Since mid-August, Hollin Elizabeth Pagos, 28, of Salem, has been the circulation manager at , bringing her experience with social media networking, web design and other skills to the institution.

"I have personal, professional, and academic experience utilizing Internet tools in various ways," Pagos told Lynnfield Patch. "At Wellesley, I designed a wiki of online fair-use image galleries to supplement the image collection of the art history department. I've built dozens of Web sites. I also have familiarity with social networking tools, like Flickr and Facebook. I'm currently working to make the library Web site a little more interactive and visual."

Replacing Jen Petro-Roy, Nancy Ryan, the library director, welcomed Pagos to the Lynnfield Library in mid-August.

Pagos had three part-time jobs previously: doing circulation work as the reference librarian at Salem Public Library; working as an imaging assistant in the visual resources department at Wellesley College in Wellesley, and as a tour guide at the historic Philips House at 34 Chesnut St., Salem.

Pagos earned a bachelor's degree in art history from Mount Holyoke in South Hadley in May 2005 and a Master's degree in library science from Simmons College in Boston in January 2009.

She was inspired by her aunt, who is also a librarian and, ironically, also went to Mount Holyoke and Simmons colleges. There, Pagos took classes in library management, evaluating library services, and patron privacy and intellectual freedom. She also studied library services abroad in the Czech Republic.

"When a patron comes in, I have a great connection, and when he walks out of the door, he should be happy and satisfied," she said of her job perks. "I get to see new materials -- I know all the new DVDs and (audio) books. I'm at the front-line of the creative stuff coming out. I have a speculator director; we work well together. There's a strong sense among everyone that we're a team, and want to give excellent library service. There is no one here who slacks off; I work with very dedicated staff members." 

As to her daily responsibilities as circulation manager, she manages 13 pages (high school book shelvers), circulation assistants and circulation technicians, and is responsible for friendly customer service in checking books in/out at the circulation desk, which is directly across from the main entrance.

"In studying for my Master’s degree, I didn’t have any coursework in customer service," she noted of library advancements. "I'm just the type of person people want to interact with. The library is not just about books anymore. It's about people, community programs, and museum passes. The focus of library work has switched from being about books to people -- and that's increasingly more important. That old stereotypical librarian is replaced with a friendly person."

Pagos doesn't mind adjusting her voice level, depending on what room in the library she's in, especially in a generation where silence is foreign to many people.

"I have absolutely no complaints other than I'm new to managing, and I didn’t realize how difficult it is," Pagos continued, "It's rewarding and smooth-sailing so far. I'm having a great time. I show up to work early, go home on Friday, and still have tons of energy. When you can do another week without the weekend, you know you've found the right job." 

When asked whether she enjoys Salem or Lynnfield libraries more, she couldn't choose, adding that Salem has different policies, especially in her part-time position, while Lynnfield is the neighborhood library with fewer staff members. The Salem library and Salem tour-guide positions also taught her customer service skills, which is key in her new role.

"I've really enjoyed working here so far. It's better than I expected. I can see myself doing this work for a long time."