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Patricia Perito may officially be the director of Pelhams Public Library but there are many other titles that would be just as fitting. She is a liaison to the town board, manager of the library staff and takes on the role of accountant when she balances the budget.
Sometimes, she is even a janitor.
"(I do) just about everything, including picking up the trash outside," Perito said. "In a small library you wind up being a jack of all trades."
The Harrison native became director of the library in 2004 after she put herself on a civil service list for the job. Prior to that, she worked as a librarian at the Ossining Public Library for almost five years. She earned a master's degree in library science from the Palmer School of Library and Information Science at Long Island University.
Although she needs the support of the town board to approve and fund most changes to the library, Perito has overseen many upgrades since she took over as director last year. The library installed a flat screen TV, a Dolby surround sound system, DVD player and connections for laptops in the program room last year. A grant from the New York State Department of Education funded the upgrade.
Perito also facilitated the installation of new computers in the side rooms, outlets in the quiet studying area and a door counter at the main entrance to help the library determine how many people it serves.
Even though she spends plenty of time in her office, which is filled with books and stacks of papers, Perito takes any chance to interact with the people that enter her library.
"I still enjoy working out on the floor sometimes," Perito said. "If I'm not out there it's because I have too much paperwork.
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