With vacancies for two children’s librarians at the Mosholu Library finally filled, parents formally met the new staffers who have been at the helm for the last month.

Nicole Figueroa and Katie Loucks were brought on to the branch at 285 E. 205th St. off Perry Avenue in January. Figueroa, who previously worked in Riverdale, said one of the most rewarding parts of her job was having children come in with a love of literacy and the desire to read. She described Norwood warmly. “I really like the community. It’s really diverse and everyone is very vibrant,” Figueroa said.

Loucks, who worked at a library in Wisconsin prior to taking the position at Mosholu Library, felt similarly. She is now involved with STEM, a free program at the library that teaches children about science, technology, engineering, and math.

“The kids are really nice. They’re lovely. I like the kids. They always bring good ideas to the STEM events which I am doing.”

Figueroa, who plays the ukulele and is passionate about hand puppets, read enthusiastically to a small gathering of children and their parents. Afterwards, she and Loucks handed out free tote bags and American Girl Doll books to attendees and also supervised craft activities. With Valentine’s Day on their mind, some children decorated construction paper hearts with positive sentiments about the library, while others filled in coloring papers.

The event capped months-long uncertainty on when librarians would be hired. The previous two had left their job back in the summer, creating a rare situation for a library heavily utilized by parents. With manpower scaled back, operating the children’s side of the library was temporarily on hold. This put several weekly services on hold, including children’s story time. Overall, the branch saw a 23 percent jump in services from previous years.

When asked if they were happy to have the new librarians several parents answered, “I’m happy,” and “Yes, of course.”