Appalachian Regional Library announced last week that a new county librarian for Ashe County Public Library has been hired effective July 1.

The ARL Board met via teleconference June 13 and approved the hiring of Molly Westmoreland on the recommendation of the Search Committee and the Ashe County Library Board.

Westmoreland brings to the Ashe County Librarian position 18 years of progressively responsible experience in public libraries, including ten at the management level. She currently serves as the Senior Librarian at the Cambrian Branch of the San José Public Library in California and has held other positions in that system since 2006. She has also worked in public libraries in Utah, Tennessee, and South Carolina. She earned a Master of Library Science and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of South Carolina. She is a member of the American Library Association, the Public Library Association, and the North Carolina Library Association.

Among Westmoreland’s personal interests are writing fiction, bird watching, and music. She will be moving to Ashe County at the end of June.