Penn Area Library director stepping down

Jessica Beichler will look back fondly on her time as Penn Area Library’s director, but it won’t be without a little regret, even if they were beyond her control.

“We had a lot of grand plans before the pandemic hit,” said Beichler, who will leave the library post March 24 to join her husband in his new workplace in New Orleans.

Among Beichler’s goals, however, was to start a teen advisory board for the library, which she and library staff did accomplish. That group will resume its meetings next month.

“We’ve seen a really great response during the pandemic,” Beichler said. “Our craft kits were flying out the door and, now, we’re letting people back into the building.”

Beichler said she will miss the staff she’s gotten to know over the past year and a half.

“I’m really happy that we’ve been able to keep the staff happy and, frankly, employed,” she said. “It makes this a really special place.”

An advertisement for the director’s position is posted on the library’s website. Children’s services coordinator Pat Cappeta will serve as the interim director, Beichler said.

After settling in the Big Easy, Beichler said she plans to take a little time to decompress from a year of running a library during the pandemic before looking for a new job.

She said she’s enjoyed the variety her time at the library afforded.

“There aren’t a lot of days that are the same,” she said. “We meet lots of interesting people and they’re all so friendly.”

Below, see Beichler’s message to library patrons and the community.