Joan Wedell assumes duties as new Brewster librarian

BREWSTER – A new librarian, Joan Wedell, was hired on at the North Central Libraries Brewster branch.

Wedell, originally from Minnesota, began her new job on March 16.

“I’m excited to get to know the community and the patrons here in Brewster and hope to increase the library’s presence in the city,” Wedell said. “In my free time, I like to cook and bake, do crafts, read (mainly historical fiction), travel, and spend time with my three rescue dogs.”

Wedell earned a Masters in Spanish from Minnesota State University. She taught both Spanish and English as a second language to adults for several years in Wisconsin and Michigan before returning to school to pursue a library degree. She earned a Master’s in Library and Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.

Wedell has worked in academic and public libraries in Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Arizona and New Mexico. She has also lived in The Netherlands, Spain and Mexico.

Wedell moved with her family to Wisconsin as a child. She said her earliest memory of libraries is of the bookmobile that came to her small town every week and riding her bike there to get more books.

“I credit my mom with my love of reading and research – when we had a question, she would, whenever possible, have us ‘look it up’ instead of giving us an answer outright,” she said. “It was annoying at the time, but I’m thankful now for her insistence!”