Dana Hysell, who the Field Library Board of Trustees hired as the new director this week, says she brings energy, excitement and a different way of looking at things to the position.
“I’m a people person. I’m very outreached focused because that’s been my role for the last few years,” said Hysell, the outreach service specialist in the Westchester Library System.
“I’m not going to hide away and sit behind a desk. I’m going to be out in the community, I’m going to be in the library, working directly with the staff, with the patrons, with the city officials.”
Hysell will be replacing Interim Director Ed Falcone after a rigorous six month search. In her new position, she will manage the day-to-day aspect of the library and work with the city of Peekskill and library Board of Trustees on pulling in resources, programs and collections.
Her vision for the library is to have it be the first place people think of for whatever they need, whether it be books, access to information, community, or a hub of activity. What she is looking forward to most is to tap into the potential that exists at The Field Library.
The Cortlandt Manor resident described the library as a foundation of knowledge and exploration where patrons can explore different ways of learning, see the diversity in the community, and be whoever they want.
“Her skillset is a great match for the role,” said Alan Most, president of the Board of Trustees in a press release Tuesday. “In particular, her expertise in community relations will be invaluable as we continue our mission to inspire lifelong learning, advance knowledge, and strengthen the City of Peekskill and Town of Cortlandt community. We believe Dana’s energy and vision will strengthen the library as it continues to grow and adapt to an ever-changing information landscape.”
Hysell grew up in southern California where much of her childhood was spent in libraries. At age eight she and her family moved to New York, living in multiple parts of the Hudson Valley and New York City, as well as different parts of Westchester as a teen.
“I was a reader at a very young age. I devoured everything,” Hysell said. “And my dad is a very avid reader and he would always come in and share his favorite books with me… I’m really a pleasure reader. I’m part of a book club. I’ve always shared a love of reading with my dad and we still to this day trade books.”
Despite her love of books, Hysell didn’t come to her career until after having two children. She worked at her children’s elementary school as a certified teaching assistant, as well as president of the PTA, where she occasionally grabbed shifts in the library.
“I was good friends with the library media specialist and we were working on weeding the collection one day,” Hysell said. “I had wanted to go back to school to get my degree and I had been thinking about what I wanted to do and she looked at me and she’s like ‘You should do this.’ The light (bulb) went on, and I was like ‘How did I not know I was meant to be a librarian?’”
Hysell immediately enrolled in school, receiving a bachelor of arts in communications at Southern New Hampshire University in 2021. She then received a master of library and information science at Long Island University last July. She is also currently working to get an advanced certificate in public library administration, library and information science.
In 2019, she began working as an outreach services specialist at the Westchester Library System. There she also served as an advocacy chair for the library association, building relationships with local and state legislators and ensuring that libraries are in their minds and deserving of funding. She has since finished her term, but remains a member of the Association, as well as the New York Library Association.
When asked what skills she will be taking from her last position, Hysell said interpersonal skills and the ability to be comfortable in any situation she is thrown in.
“I’ve had to go from working one-on-one with someone who needs access to something to working one-on-one with the senator or a congressman,” Hysell said. “And so it’s that ability to just dive right in and be comfortable.”
Hysell said she loves The Field Library’s mission of inspiring lifelong learning and advanced knowledge because she considers herself a lifelong learner.
“I’ve made it my mission to be comfortable asking questions when you don’t know something and I think that’s what lifelong learning is,” she said. “It’s seeking information, whether it’s a tiny little thing or whether it’s a major life change. You can’t do that unless you have the knowledge. And I want this to be that place of knowledge, of where you seek out that knowledge. And it’s the staff inside that are there to guide you and me at the helm, just taking ownership of all that and being that resource for our community.”
Hysell will officially assume the position on Thursday, Oct. 24.
