Longtime New Rochelle Library Chief Plans To Retire After 18 Years

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — After 18 years of service, New Rochelle Public Library Director Tom Geoffino has announced his retirement.

During Geoffino's tenure, the New Rochelle library has become the envy of other library systems across the region and the country. The library is as much a cultural center and destination to celebrate the city's diverse heritage and traditions, as it is known as a resource for the community.

It soon becomes clear to anyone who has the opportunity to speak with Geoffino that he cares deeply, not only for the institution he is charged with nurturing and growing, but also for the people who rely on that institution. He has earned a reputation caring as much for staff members and the patrons as for the library's growing stature.

"My time in New Rochelle has been an amazing experience," Geoffino said in a statement announcing his retirement. "I have thoroughly embraced and enjoyed the opportunity to work with the staff, the Board of Trustees, as well as advocates like the New Rochelle Public Library Foundation and The Friends of the New Rochelle Public Library, our many community partners and the New Rochelle community. My tenure at NRPL has truly been the highlight of my long professional career. I want to acknowledge and thank the many former Trustees who served on the Library Board over the years, the Foundation, and the Friends. Without their support, we could not have achieved what we did over the past 18 years. And my heartfelt thanks to my dedicated staff, past and present, who saw what was possible and made it happen, ensuring our library is a thriving and vibrant center for all patrons."

Geoffino will step down effective the second quarter of next year. Although he is leaving big shoes to fill, he has also left a solid foundation for his ultimate successor.

The New Rochelle Public Library Board of Trustees will conduct a national search for the next director, with the support of an executive-level search firm, beginning this fall.

"The NRPL Board of Trustees is grateful for Tom’s 18 years of dedicated service to our community," NRPL Board of Trustees President Whitney Barrat said. "NRPL has flourished under Tom’s leadership. He has successfully championed and won state grants to make significant changes and improvements to the facility. He has grown and nurtured an amazing staff that delivers exemplary customer service, diverse collections, innovative services, and extraordinary programs, year after year. Tom’s vision and tenacity, along with his patience, compassion, and unwavering commitment to help and serve all who come to our library, will be deeply missed. It has been a great honor to work alongside him."

In Geofiino's 18 years at the library, the NRPL underwent a series of transformative renovations. Under his leadership, the library secured over $2 million in library state grants. The funds were used for major improvements and upgrades to both the main branch of the library and the Huguenot Children’s Library, including extensive renovations to the Ossie Davis Theater, the Main Library lobby and entryway, and 2nd and 3rd floors, including a new state-of-the-art Teen Room, expanded study rooms and laptop bars. The Huguenot Children’s Library's basement was fully renovated, and substantial infrastructure improvements were completed.

Geoffino successfully led the library through the pandemic by putting in place creative online programs, expanding digital collections, boosting Wi-Fi connectivity in library adjacent outdoor spaces, and creating access to materials through curbside pick-up. He also established partnerships with public health providers to administer vaccines, test kits and masks in the library.

Geoffino’s vision over the years meant expanding and bringing new, innovative services to New Rochelle, including lending technology such as Chromebooks, iPads and Wi-Fi hotspots, expanding and maintaining virtual programming and digital offerings in response to the community’s changing needs, hiring a full-time community outreach specialist to connect and assist the city’s most vulnerable residents to community resources, and expanding resources for non-English speakers.