A New Face in Town

By CLAIRE MEYLAN | Intern

If you’ve seen someone walking around The Village with a hat and signature sunbrella in hand, you may have spotted the Palisades Branch Library’s new Young Adult Librarian Jessica Levy.

Levy, who has worked as a children’s librarian since completing library school in 2011, served most recently as the children’s librarian at the Fairfax Branch Library in mid-city Los Angeles. She has also worked as a children’s librarian at the Fairview Branch Library in Santa Monica.

The native Angeleno has always wanted to work with youth in a nonprofit setting. Before attending library school, Levy worked in children’s publishing, but found it didn’t satisfy her criteria for meaningful work.

“Previously I worked in children’s book publishing, and while I love books, I really missed the interaction with children and teens, and wanted to help people rather than help books get made,” Levy said.

After working as a children’s librarian for seven years, Levy’s new job marks a transition in her library career. Although she enjoys working with children of all ages, Levy decided it was time for a new challenge: working with teens.

“Each age group has different needs and can be fun and challenging to work with,” Levy told the Palisadian-Post. “I like all ages, but I have always liked working with teens. They are old enough to engage further in programs. I also want to mentor and encourage teens to be active in their community and help them gain work experience by volunteering at the library.”

Levy is full of ideas for teen programs at the Palisades library. Some of her favorite activities include crafts and book clubs. In addition, Levy loves vegan cooking and baking. She started a successful cooking class at the Fairfax Branch, which she hopes to bring to the Palisades.

“We all love food, but with such busy lives not everyone has time to cook or bake. I want to give youth a chance to explore new foods and see what’s going into their food and how to prepare it,” Levy said.

Levy’s new position means saying goodbye to talented Young Adult Librarian Annie Cipolla, who has accepted a promotion to work as the senior librarian at the John C. Fremont Branch in Hancock Park. As senior librarian, Cipolla is able express a larger vision and work with all ages, from children to seniors.

Cipolla loved working in the Palisades, expressing that the library was a “vibrant hub” for the teens and families that utilized its books and programs. According to Cipolla, not a day goes by in which she doesn’t hear from one of her former patrons.

When asked if she had any advice for Levy, Cipolla said, “​I think Jessica should trust her instincts and deliver the best service and programming that she believes will be relevant and of interest to her community. I know that she is up to the challenge because we’ve had several conversations about how special the Palisades community is.”

Head over to the Palisades Branch Library to meet Levy, learn more about young adult novels and share your suggestions for teen programs.