Welcome to our series, all about getting to know our very special Youth Services staff members at the Barrington Area Library! Each month, we'll publish an interview with one of our lovely staff members. Up next we have Youth Services Assistant Librarian Jessi!

What is your favorite part of working at the Barrington Area Library?

My favorite part about working here is how friendly, welcoming and supportive everyone is! Walking into the library always puts a smile on my face, whether it is seeing children find a book they love or seeing their creativity through building with Legos or the light bright wall.

What are some of your favorite books and/or genres?

I love to read lots of different genres! My favorite ones are romance, contemporary fiction, thrillers, and literary fiction. I love  reading new authors or trying a genre or type of book that is new to me. You never know what you might enjoy!

Do you have a hobby or knowledge of a certain topic that you like to incorporate into your work at the library?

I have a lot of knowledge about mental health care, so I try to incorporate ideas about mindfulness and self-care into my work. I enjoy creating programming or blog posts that talk about how to take care of our mental health and help us focus on being the best versions of ourselves!

What do you like to do when you’re not working at the library?

Is it too cliché to say read!? I read 130 books in 2022! I also enjoy working out and playing with my dog.

Is there a fun fact about yourself that you’d like to share?

A fun fact about me is I shaved my head to raise money for childhood cancer in 2016! I like to volunteer and help others and this was something I could do to make an impact so I figured why not?

    Youth Services Specialist Stefanie Molinaro