EAST PROVIDENCE — Earlier this week, the city officially welcomed a new director of the East Providence Library System as Michael Carlozzi took over the position from the recently retired Eileen Socha, who stepped away from the post this summer after 17 years in that role.

Mr. Carlozzi, whose first day on the job was August 20, was hired last month by Acting City Manager/East Providence Police Chief Chris Parella on the recommendation of Acting City Human Resources Director/EPPD Captain Michael David and with the approval of the council.

“To say the least, I’m really excited to be here,” Mr. Carlozzi said at the time of his hire. “The City of East Providence has gem in its library..It’s known throughout area for its reference services. I’m really excited to be here. I can’t wait for the 20th to start.”

Mr. Carlozzi comes to the city most recently after serving as the Wareham (Mass.) Free Library director. He has degrees in English from UMass-Dartmouth (undergrad), the University of Rhode Island (Master’s, Library & Information Science) and the University of Oxford (Master's, English)

Said Chief Parella, “The selection process was extremely comprehensive and I think the Human Resources director did an outstanding job with it. I’d like to thank the board of trustees for the library, many of whom sat on the panel. I’d like to thank Joyce May (East Providence Libraries Adult Services Director), she’s stepped up. I’d also like to thank Eileen for her years of dedicated service…The library is one of the shining stars of the city.”

As for Ms. Socha, also a URI grad Class of 1977, she departs her position after over 40 years in the field. She began her career as a reference librarian in Pompano Beach, Fla., before returning to Rhode Island and settling in Warren. She worked for the Providence Public Libraries for a year, then as the director of the George Hill Library in Warren. Ms. Socha was hired in city in 1991 and became director of East Providence Libraries 10 years later.

Her career has spanned the gamut of changes to both how libraries operate and the integration of technology into the orthodoxy.

“When I first came to East Providence we still had the card catalogue,” Ms. Socha said with a chuckle. “But then things really started to change and we were fortunate to change with it and keep up on top of it.”

The former director took pride in Mr. Carlozzi’s referral to East Providence’s standing in the area library community, noting the department’s ability to adapt has been key to maintaining its relevance.

“When we redesigned the Weaver Library and took away the reference desk and the circulation desk, which was the way things were going across the country, we had a consultant come in from California that helped us. All the public libraries from around the state came to see what we had done, and they were just very excited,” Ms. Socha explained.

She continued, “And also what we did in our children’s room. We were really one of the first to take away the desks and put computers in. And then we had play areas for different ages. So we offered activities that kids could come and use the library on their own. As soon as it opened parents came and met at the library. They were telling people, their friends on the East Side (of Providence) and in Seekonk, ‘Go to the East Providence Library.’

“What we said when we made these changes was the library was going to be a destination, and it turned out that way. It really was successful from the get-go.”

East Providence Libraries have consistently been at the front of the changes to a technology-based operation. As the way people research and communicate has continued to revolutionize, how the library fits into the equation has also been reshaped.

“Fewer people do use computers at the libraries,” Ms. Socha said. “When we began, when computers really took hold, we had lines. Our rules were stricter. We don’t see that as much now. More often than not, there’s a computer available when someone comes in. More people are using their telephones for that, but they’re also downloading books and videos on their phones. They’re accessing libraries through their own devices more.

“But for the libraries, reading in the still focus, reading is still the goal. How you read might be different. You might get it on a tablet or on a tape, but reading is really what we present to the community. How it’s changed is that how we’ve become a very big part of the community center because we offer so many different things. We’re fortunate in East Providence that library support has been good through the years not only from the city, but the residents. They really do support the library.

Among the accomplishments under her watch, Ms. Socha pointed to the department’s hiring of a a full-time literacy coordinator, the establishment of the Farmers Market at Weaver and the creation of the Fuller Creative Learning Center as some of her proudest achievements.

Ms. Socha often mentioned how much she revered her staff and also gave plaudits to the board of trustees. Of Fuller, specifically, she credited the efforts of the late Paul Lemont, the city manager at the time, as helping see the project come to fruition.

“This is the way libraries are going,” Ms. Socha said of Fuller. “They call them ‘maker spaces.’ We didn’t just want a maker space. We wanted a community learning center where people could learn a variety of topics at different levels. And we were able to do that with the help of the city, and it is flourishing. It’s creative. It’s arts. It’s cooking. It’s so many things,” Ms. Socha said. “And for a city of under 50,000, we still have two very, very successful lending libraries. Riverside is a gem. It’s just a beauty.”

Another notable undertaking during her tenure was moving the Riverside Branch out of the Rec Center to its own building proper.

“I would say that I had a most wonderful career and to be able to help build the Riverside Library and to help bring Weaver, really, to the forefront of service in today’s day and to also have our own building as a learning center are things I’m really proud of. Those three things, I just say to myself, ‘Wow!’ I was at the right place at the right time,” Ms. Socha said.

Things didn’t always go the library’s way under Ms. Socha’s watch. There were cuts to the department when the state-appointed budget commission was managing the city’s finances earlier this decade and the old Rumford Branch property was also closed and sold.

“During the budget commission we lost money,” Ms. Socha said. “We had to close on Sundays. I fought at least once a week over at city hall to get us to open back up on Sundays. Sundays are a great day, usually family day to come in. And then they sold the Rumford library and once they did that, it was like, ‘What are we going to do?”

She added, “But East Providence loves their libraries. We work with the schools, which is great. We work with Head Start, which is great. There’s so many agencies that the library works with. And we have such a great reputation. We have a wonderful staff that really want to work at a library and help people. We are so well known in the library community across the state because of our staff.

“I would always say to the city manager, and I had a lot of city managers during my tenure, I would always say to whoever it was that the library was the jewel in the city’s crown and I think a lot of people agree with that. Everyone believes we do a good job and we want to. We want to do things to help the community.

“I’m just so lucky to have had such a wonderful career and to leave it feeling so fulfilled.”