Cheryl O’Connor assumed her new role at the library this month after spending nine years working for a regional library cooperative.

O’Connor fills the position left vacant when Stone was promoted to the position of library director this year.

"I am thrilled with my appointment," O’Connor said. "I have always held the East Brunswick Public Library and its staff in the highest regard."

O’Connor worked for INFOLINK from 1991 up until last month, serving as the program and services coordinator for INFOLINK’s Eastern New Jersey Regional Library Cooperative, one of four such regional library cooperatives. In that role for the state-funded nonprofit group, she provided behind-the-scenes support for regional libraries.

In her new role, she will handle training and public information as well as assisting in various aspects of the township library’s management, such as working with department managers and personnel.

O’Connor decided to leave her job with INFOLINK because she wanted to be back working in a public library. At INFOLINK, she spent most of her time in an office, different from her nearly 20 years of prior experience in libraries in Plainfield, Piscataway, Virginia, and New York.

"I decided to evaluate my career," O’Connor said. "After nine years there, I missed being in a library and close to library users. I had a need to be in the field. Having to choose, East Brunswick was the place to be."

As a result of her past experience, she will not go into the new job blindly. O’Connor said that she already knew some of the library staff before starting the job, as she worked with many of them while on staff at INFOLINK’s Edison office.

"Nothing is more rewarding than working with a top-notch staff in a vibrant community," she said.

O’Connor is also an adjunct professor at Rutgers University, teaching in the school’s library science program. She has a master’s degree in library science and a bachelor’s degree in Latin from Syracuse University and has worked in New Jersey libraries since 1974.

"She is an extremely capable individual who will help guide us into the new century," said Stone, the current library director.