Berkshire Athenaeum Hires New Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield's Public Library, expands its reach in the City of Pittsfield with the addition of four librarians to its professional staff.
The new employees include: Alicia Hyman, Outreach Librarian; Sara Russell-Scholl, Children's and Youth Services Supervisor; Kisha Sawyers, Technology Engagement Librarian; and Autumn Mawhinney, Technical Services Supervisor.
"We are pleased to welcome these talented professionals to lead our service initiatives in the coming months and beyond," said Athenaeum Director Alex Reczkowski.
Hyman comes to the library from New York City, where she was a Social Sector Librarian at the nonprofit Candid. Hyman holds a Master of Science in Library and Information Science from Pratt Institute, and has worked in a variety of library settings, including in prison and jail outreach. In addition to librarianship, Hyman also has a background in editing and proofreading. Hyman is interested in local music collections.
Russell-Scholl, who started in January, comes to the athenaeum from the North Adams Public Library, where she worked for six years as the Youth Services Librarian. Her work in North Adams focused on engagement with families and outreach to teens through community events, strong school partnerships, and relationship building with families.
Russell-Scholl is a mom of three kids, and said she is excited to discover more about the Pittsfield community and its families, as well as implementing fun, creative programming.
Sawyers joined the library in November 2020 and hails from the island of Jamaica. In addition to her role at the library, Sawyers is currently an adjunct librarian at the Hudson Valley Community College, and previously worked as a librarian at the University of the West Indies. Sawyers holds both a Bachelor and Master of Arts in Library and Information Studies from the University of the West Indies; a certificate in Academic Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Leadership Institute for Academic Librarians; and a certificate in leadership from the American Library Association. She also has a background in Business Administration and has worked in several libraries (public, special and academic) in Jamaica, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and New York. Sawyers' interests include human and child rights, movies, theater, and reading.
Mawhinney began her role in October 2020. No stranger to the athenaeum, she has been with the library since 2017. Mawhinney holds a Master of Library and Information Science from Simmons University, and has worked in several other Berkshire County libraries in various roles.
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