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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- The White Plains Library Board of Trustees announced this week that a new director and assistant director had been hired.
Brian Kenney was tapped to replace Sandra Miranda, the current director who will retire this October. Kathleen Degyansky will take over for former Assistant Director Patricia Thorsen, who retired this June.
Kenney, the editorial director of three professional publications for libraries, will begin as the White Plains Library's new director on Nov. 14. Kenney, a Queens resident, managed the Central Brooklyn Public Library for 10 years.
Kenney said he looked forward to working on the library's ongoing plan to revamp the first floor so teens have a separate space and enhance adults' experiences at the library.
"Public libraries today are more valuable and needed than ever," Kenney said in a statement. "They prepare children for school and help spark young imaginations. They are an economic anchor, support businesses and can be a vital force in workforce development and job assistance. They provide adults with resources to learn and to grow, as well as opportunities for entertainment."
Degyansky will join the White Plains Library team as the assistant director on Oct. 17. Degyansky, also a Queens resident, began her career as a librarian trainee at the Queens Library and spent 17 years at the borough's branches, eventually becoming the assistant director of program coordination and management. She then worked as the executive director of the Southwest Florida Library Network.
"I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to join the staff, and to help the library grow and expand on the success it is today," Degyansky said in a press statement.
Sandra Miranda, who has been the library's director since 1989, said she was "proud to be leaving the library in such good hands."
"These are people whose expertise and passion for community service will take the library to new heights," Miranda said in a statement.
The Daily White Plains intends to write a piece on Director Sandra Miranda's contributions to the library before she retires. Has anybody worked with her or gotten assistance from her? Has the library changed since she began as the director in 1989? Join the conversation below.
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