The Erie County Public Library officially has a new leader.

Erie County Executive Brenton Davis' administration has selected Jessica Stefano to serve as the library's new director.

"I'm very excited," said Stefano. "From the first day I stepped into my first role here in the library, I knew that this was my goal."

Stefano began here career with the library back in 2022, serving as the Iroquois branch manager.
Stefano has been serving as the interim director for several weeks.

"I think moving forward, I'd like to really bring some stability to the library," said Stefano. "We've had several years of turnover here in the director position. My goal would be to stay here for 22 years until I'm ready to retire and drive the library into the future."

Stefano says one of her top priorities is to enhance the current programs and services to meet the need of the community.

"I would like to kind of tap into all of the partnerships that we can build here in the community," said Stefano. "There are so many wonderful organizations in town that have missions that are very complimentary to ours, so I'd like us to be able to come integrated into the things that are happening throughout the community."

Stefano also plans to work with Gannon University on Project NePTWNE.

The project involves a 3,000 square-foot water research and education center inside of the Blasco Library.

"I have only ever had positive interactions with Gannon both personally and professionally, so now that we know they will be here and that's something we are going to be moving forward with, I'm looking forward to partnering with them," said Stefano. "I hope that together we can bring opportunities to the library that we may not have otherwise had and that through this project, working together, we can be better than the sum of our parts and both be able to provide more to the community."