The Scranton Memorial Library has announced that Jessa Franco has recently joined their staff as the new Teen Librarian. Here, in a Q & A, Jessa opens up about what's in store for Madison teens.
Are you local?
I am not local to Madison. I grew up in Ledyard, Connecticut, about 5 minutes from Foxwoods.
Where did you work before coming to Scranton?
In graduate school, I worked for Mystic & Noank Library as an intern in the Children’s Department and substitute librarian. I also worked for Groton Public Library as an intern, where I designed programming for teens with autism. After I graduated, I was hired as the Young Adult Librarian at the Old Lyme Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library. I worked there up until my employment here!
Any successful and exciting collaborations in your previous library post?
When working at the Groton Public Library I worked intimately with the Parks and Recreation Department to design a social program for teens with high functioning autism or Asperger’s.
What kind of programming are you looking forward to planning for Mad teens?
I love technology and greatly look forward to doing more tech based programs. I am also excited to revitalize the Reading Buddies program. One of my major goals is to promote the current and future programs as inclusive events. I have a lot of experience with assistive technology and inclusive programming from my work with Groton Parks and Recreation that I hope to use when planning programs for Madison.
Do you have any hobbies or superpowers that you think will help you in your new position?
What is your favorite genre? Author?
It sounds cheesy, but I really like everything. The only genre that I’m skeptical of is Horror, but I’ve recently discovered a few titles that are changing my opinion. As for authors, I love Libba Bray, Holly Black, Johnathan Maberry, Neil Gaiman, and many more! My favorite recent release is Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff.
Movies?
Oh this is a hard one! I like movies, but I love TV shows. My favorites that are still airing are: The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Arrow, Agents of Shield, The 100, Once Upon a Time, and Grimm.
What does your day off look like?
A typical day off involves catching up on reading, painting, and playing with my dog. Boo is a two year old Dogo Argentino. He is solid white with a reputation for being mischievous. Trick training really helps with that, so we’ve developed quite the routine!
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The Public is invited to a Meet & Greet with Jessa Franco,
Scranton Memorial Library's new Teen Librarian
Tuesday, November 17 from 6:30 - 8:00pm.
Please drop in and say Hello!