WORK EXPERIENCE

I currently serve as Director of the Rutherford (NJ) Public Library. RPL is the largest public library in southern Bergen County and a member of the Bergen County Cooperative Library System (BCCLS). Here, I manage all aspects of administration, including finance, personnel, and outreach. My committee work is reflected below. 

From 2015-2020, I served in the Director role at Worth-Pinkham Memorial Library, where I expanded the library's services and strengthened its footprint in the Ho-Ho-Kus community. I have worked in a variety of libraries across BCCLS in administration, youth services, adult services, and circulation. 

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

COMMITTEE + VOLUNTEER WORK

current appointments:
Vice President, Executive Board: 2020-Present (BCCLS)
Member, Branding Task Force: 2021-Present (BCCLS)
Library Liaison, Rutherford (NJ) Civil Rights Commission: 2021-Present
Contributing Editor, Public Libraries Magazine: 2021-Present (PLA)
Writer, Public Libraries Online: 2013-Present (PLA)
Writer, Intellectual Freedom Blog: 2021-Present (ALA)
​
​
past appointments:
Chair, Library Administration, Management + Personnel Committee: ​2017-21 (BCCLS)
Member, Safely Opening + Operating Task Force: 2020 (BCCLS)
Secretary, Small Libraries Section: 2019-20 (NJLA)
Member, Delivery Task Force: 2018-20 (BCCLS)
President, Small Libraries Section: 2018-19 (NJLA)
Chair, Scholarship Committee: 2018-19 (NJLA)
Vice Chair, Scholarship Committee: 2017-18 (NJLA)
Member-at-Large, Small Libraries Section: 2016-18 (NJLA)
Member, Discount Advisory Group: 2014-16 (LibraryLinkNJ)
Member, Member Communications Subcommittee: 2013-15 (NJLA)
Member, Newsletter Editorial Board: 2014-17 (NJLA)
Member, Personnel + Administration Committee: 2016 (BCCLS)
Member, Scholarship Committee: 2014-15 (BCCLS)
Member, Summer Reading Committee: 2015 (NJLA)
Member, Youth Services Committee: 2013-14 (BCCLS)

MEDIA MENTIONS + CITATIONS

2021
Cassell, Kay Ann. Public Library and Their Communities: An Introduction.      Rowman & Littlefield, 2021.
The Virtual Job Hunt, American Libraries, May 3, 2021.
Health Hazards of Librarianship: Not Just Paper Cuts, Public Libraries Online, Feb. 15, 2021.
This is Gretchen Corsillo, RPL Director, This is Rutherford, Jan. 11, 2021.

2020
Open at Limited Capacity, NJ Libraries Have Adapted to Bring Services to Your Home - Or Car, NorthJersey.com, Sept. 25, 2020.
North Jersey Libraries Want Your Coronavirus Stories, Photos to Document History of Pandemic, NorthJersey.com, Apr. 29, 2020.
State Grants Could Fulfill Some Long-Held Dreams for Librarians in North Jersey, NorthJersey.com, Feb. 18, 2020.

2019
Promoting Digital, Library Journal, Dec. 30, 2019.
Editorial: Speed the Process for Libraries Seeking State Bond Money, NorthJersey.com, Mar. 23, 2019.
What Happened to $125 Million in Funds Slated for Libraries? NorthJersey.com, Mar. 17, 2019.

2016
What's the Most Popular Book at Libraries in the Saddle River Valley? NorthJersey.com, Jan. 7, 2016

To view my library-related writing clips, please visit my author pages for Public Libraries Online and the Office of Intellectual Freedom. My bimonthly column The Big Idea appears in each issue of Public Libraries magazine and explores new thinking on library leadership + administration.

CASE STUDY:
​WORTH-PINKHAM MEMORIAL LIBRARY

When I was hired as WPML's director in early 2015, I knew the library needed help. The recession had brought with it a shrinking budget, and years of stagnant leadership had caused circulation and patron engagement to plummet. Although I had my work cut out for me, I looked forward to the challenge; Ho-Ho-Kus residents deserved a great library, and I was determined to give it to them. 

CASE STUDY:
CHILDREN'S ROOM RENOVATION

During my six years at Lee Memorial Library, I worked in several different positions; however, the majority of my time was spent in Youth Services. One of our most pressing problems was an outdated children's room. We were fortunate enough to create a new young adult area in 2012, but this upgraded space drew more attention to the dilapidated kids' area. So, I began working on renovation plans.