RUSSELL – The new librarian at Russell Public Library is a familiar face to many people in the Hilltowns. Dawne Piers-Gamble retired as a teacher in 2020 after many years at Murrayfield and Littleville elementary schools in Huntington and Gateway Regional Middle School.

Originally from Huntington, she lives in Russell with her husband Tim Gamble, a retired physical education teacher and soccer and basketball coach, also at Gateway schools, who grew up in Russell.

Piers-Gamble started at the library in late August, replacing librarian and Town Clerk Jodie Paradis, who will also be leaving the latter position at the end of September. Also starting at the Russell Public Library will be children’s librarian Noreen Williams.

Although not a certified librarian, Piers-Gamble plans to take a series of courses offered for rural librarians to achieve qualification, which she has five years to complete.

Her goal is to engage a wide range of people with the library, including the current patrons, who are mostly parents of young children who are at home, retired people and others who come in to use the computers.

Toward that goal, she is starting a new preschool toddler reading hour on Tuesday mornings from 11 a.m. to noon and also plans to start a Wednesday evening game night for older youth and adults to play chess, checkers and cribbage. She is hoping that some adults will serve as mentors to others who don’t know the games, as well.

She is also looking for ways to engage middle schoolers at the library, around activities they are already interested in.

From October through November, patrons will receive a raffle ticket each time they check out a book, entering them to win a prize.

In addition, Piers-Gamble is on the board of the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Noble View Center on South Quarter Road in Russell and wants to coordinate activities between the nature center and the library. On Sept. 17, the library hosted an animal tracking story hour and on Sept. 24 at 1 p.m., children’s musician Rick Goldin will perform “Going Green,” featuring songs about nature, animals, recycling and other fun topics, in a program sponsored by the Hilltown Family Center.

Piers-Gamble is also meeting with the other library directors in the Gateway district towns to establish a calendar of the special events in all the libraries that they can share with each other and help to publicize.

“I’m trying to think of new ways to get folks to come into the building; to see it as a community space and a resource for people,” Piers-Gamble said.