By Matt Hampton
She has worked as a librarian and educator in Nassau County for three decades. Prior to her tenure in Island Park, Gough was an academic librarian at Molloy and Mercy colleges, with her experience stretching back to 1993. She has also been a college professor and a high school social studies teacher. Most recently, she has spent her weekends overseeing the Children's Room of the Elmont library, so she already knows the lay of the land.
The library's previous director, John Bosco, stepped down last May after some public conflicts with Business Director Frank Marino. Bosco worked at the library for just six months, after being hired in December 2007. With the selection of Gough, the board trustees have chosen someone they already know and trust.
"I've worked at Elmont for years - I used to call the people on the weekend the weekend warriors," she said. Gough is hoping her familiarity with the library and the community will translate into a big response from local patrons, she said.
"Maggie brings a thorough love of her profession and unbridled enthusiasm for providing the best possible leadership for the library and service to the Elmont community," the library board wrote in a recent release.
Gough will begin her new job on May 11. Because of her experience in Elmont, she said, she expects it to be a smooth transition, but is also ready for some challenges. "The biggest challenge is to use our budget money as competently as possible and to give the best possible service to our community," she said. "That's something we're doing now. We've had to reallocate our budget in many ways to follow what people really want and need."
She said she believes the library has an obligation to provide quality educational services to the community at low or no cost, but also to tailor the library to the community's needs. "Forecasting the future is a huge challenge, but hopefully we'll do a good job," Gough said. "We like for the library to be the bastion of books, but that's not always what our patrons want."
Because of the difficult economy, she said, she wants the library to be the first place people go when they need help finding a new job - or learning a new skill to keep the job they have. She has helped host job fairs and computer classes, among other programs in Island Park, and intends to bring everything - and some new ideas - over to Elmont.
"There are some really good things getting ready to happen for the Elmont community," Gough said, "and I think the library can be at the forefront of that. I think it's a great challenge; it tests all my abilities. I've established that I'm a good librarian. Now I have to establish that I'm a good director."
Comments about this story? MHampton@
liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 214.
