LAURA TARANTELLA/THE EXPRESS Clinton County Libraries’ new Executive Director, Saverio Provenzano, stands next to a portrait of Annie Halenbake at the library in Lock Haven.

LOCK HAVEN — Clinton County Libraries welcomed their new Executive Director Saverio Provenzano earlier this week as he steps into his new role.

Provenzano, a Long Island, N.Y. native, has decided to make his return to the east coast after helping many struggling libraries in the southwest over the last few years.

Provenzano’s love for libraries started at a young age when he walked into his local library and asked for information on Manuel Noriega.

Being before the age of Google in everyone’s pocket meant he was handed a stack of papers to sort through, sparking an interest in history and leading to many hours in the library.

Starting out, Provenzano’s first library job was in Greenlawn, Long Island, where he worked as the head of youth services before most recently working in El Paso, Texas and Las Cruces, N.M, where he helped reopen their main library.

As the head of youth services in Long Island, Provenzano helped start programs that allowed children to find a communal space that fit their needs.

“It was more of a community center instead of a traditional library, where the kids could come into a safe space so they don’t have to deal with some of the violence and everything outside,” Provenzano said of the Wyandanch Public Library.

The area that was set up became known to many as “Teen Town.”

“Teen Town is a place where teens can come after school and relax. They can watch TV, decompress, do their homework. It’s an area just for them,” said Provenzano. “Sometimes they want their own area. They help decorate it and they take ownership of the space.”

After spending the last few years in Texas, Provenzano said he was looking for his next step moving forward.

“I wanted to expand my horizons and see what else is out there,” he said. “The next step is director after head of youth services and library manager.”

As the executive director, Provenzano will oversee all library services for the Lock Haven, Renovo and Beech Creek libraries, including the mobile book library.

When asked about plans for the community libraries, Provenzano expressed excitement over setting up a program designed to include a group that is typically forgotten about, similar to the programs started in New York.

“I would like to see something come out of the teen space,” he said. “As the former head of youth services, I feel that group is kind of underserved.”

As he continued, Provenzano shared the importance of creating safe spaces for youth in the area and his hopes for potential programs.

“We have everything. There’s stuff for children, there’s programs for seniors, but then there’s a whole group from 13-17 that feels forgotten. And sometimes, even more importantly, you’re 18 or 19, you’ve graduated high school and the football coach is no longer pushing you to go to

school, so some of these kids get lost in the mix,” he said.

The library is looking forward to partnering with local businesses for sponsorships that will allow them to continue providing resources to the community.

“The more people get involved, the more we can do. We can order a 3D printer, we can continue to support our crochet club, we can do all sorts of author talks for the community,” said Provenzano. “We have the murder mystery coming up, the book sale in March/April, moving forward I’m pretty excited.”

The library is always looking for extra hands to help out with events in the community. Ways to help out include volunteer work and book donations.

If you are interested, contact the library at 570-748-3321.