He’s a vault of knowledge

The new director of the Bryant Library in Roslyn, Victor Caputo, 48, is a long-time Baldwin resident, while I grew up in Roslyn and now work in Baldwin. Victor and I have been friends for years, as we have both worked in library programming and I have run a book discussion group at Bryant since 2005. We recently chatted about libraries and other things that are important to us.

EO: Tell me about yourself.

VC: My wife and I moved to Baldwin 17 years ago because we enjoyed the diversity of the community, historic houses, and local stores.

I have been working in public libraries for almost 24 years and at the Bryant Library for 19 of those years. Prior to my appointment as library director in December, I served as the director of public relations and programming. I enjoy music and love going to museums, concerts, and plays. I am a shopper and can be found just about every morning during the week at Target in Westbury. I enjoy people and I love hearing their stories.

EO: I worked at the Bryant Library during high school and during the summers when I was in college before I moved on to the Port Washington Public Library, where I stayed for seven years. I then worked at Nassau Library System for 11 years before I became the director at Baldwin. I am also a fan of shopping, as well as reading, cooking, listening to music, making art, and playing with my dog.

Tell me five words people would use to describe you.

VC: Friendly, helpful, driven, knowledgeable, cooperative. What would they say about you?

EO: Enthusiastic, innovative, loyal, ambitious, dedicated.

So, print or eBooks – do you have a preference, and why?

VC: I still like the look and feel of a book, but it has been more about eBooks for me. I like the fact that the devices are light and I can adjust the type size.

EO: I’m usually reading several books at any given time, so I appreciate the convenience of eBooks, and I love that my eReader is backlit for reading in the dark – I always read before I go to bed and in the middle of the night if I can’t sleep. That said, I’m happy when people read any genre in any format.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take five things, what would you take?