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Mawhinney began her role in October 2020
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Sawyers joined the library in November 2020 and hails from the island of Jamaica
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Hyman comes to the library from New York City, where she was a Social Sector Librarian at the nonprofit Candid.
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Russell-Scholl, who started in January, comes to the athenaeum from the North Adams Public Library

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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PHS Air and Water Quality Within Accepted Levels

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Air and water quality testing at Pittsfield High School came back within acceptable levels, and the administration is open to additional testing. 

Last week, the School Committee accepted test results on the facility that has sat on East Street for nearly 100 years.  The report was done in collaboration with Atlas Technical Consultants and the Pittsfield Water Department. 

Readings were "acceptable" in all tested locations, and there are recommendations for monitoring humidity, replacing equipment, and additional air monitoring when needed.  Some retesting needed to be done, and a couple of sink faucets were removed in the process. 

"If you want every room sampled, we can do it," Mayor Peter Marchetti said in response to Ciara Batory's concerns about air sampling in only a handful of rooms. 

"This is the report that came back, and this report does not show that children are in danger."

Limited indoor air quality readings were done in rooms 102, 103, 104, and 116 on June 31.  Air quality testing was also done two years ago. 

Humidity levels were slightly above American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers guidelines in rooms 103 and 104; monitoring and dehumidification are recommended. 

The report says that mold spores captured in rooms 103 and 104 likely originated from an indoor source.  Custodial deep cleaning was done right before samples were taken, and a retest showed levels within an acceptable range. 

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