Keith Klang is the new head of the Adult Services Department at the Port Washington Public Library. Klang oversees the entire adult fiction and nonfiction collections and is in charge of purchasing for the collections. He also oversees the English speakers of other languages (ESOL) department. “I enjoy being able to help guide what our collection entails,” said Klang.
Klang is in charge of homebound services for patrons who can’t get to the library. “I do house calls and drop off materials. It could be once a month or once a week. It’s helpful for the homebound because
they aren’t interacting with people as much, and they like to see me,” said Klang. “So it’s a social service, too. It could be done by mail, but I like to do it myself.”
Klang also leads monthly fiction and nonfiction book discussions. “The nonfiction discussion group meets the third Thursday of every month during the day and the fiction group meets the second Wednesday of the month in the evening. Books for these discussion groups are listed in the library’s newsletter and on the website and anyone can come to the group. “You can come once or come every month,” said Klang. “Our fiction book for July is The Uninvited Guest by Sallie Jones and the nonfiction book is Exodus, a Memoir by Deborah Feldman.” Klang is also a reader’s advisor for the library. “I can work with a patron and recommend a book for them or their book group,” said Klang. Klang is doing several author interviews this summer. “I’m interviewing Erika Swyler, author of Book of Speculations, in July,” said Klang.
Klang also does the purchasing for the digital collection. “Patrons can download the overdrive app to their Android or Apple mobile device for free. They can check out our ebooks for 14 days and check out up to five e-books or audio books at a time. You can also download books to your Kindle through our website directly from Amazon. Our collection has grown exponentially because of e-books,” said Klang.
Klang grew up in Port Washington, graduated from Schreiber High School and received his Master of Arts degree from Queens College. He began working as an intern at the library while still in high school. In 2009, he started full time as a children’s librarian and transitioned to his new position as head of Adult Services in January.
Klang lives in town, above the Dolphin Book Shop. “Port is a town that really supports its library. The library was always an oasis in the town and an integral part of cultural and community events,” said Klang. “As a kid I loved the place and now I get to work here every day, so it’s pretty awesome.”
