AUBURN — The Auburn Public Library soon will welcome back an old patron as the new director.

On June 24, Mary-Margaret Anthoine Ney will take the reins at APL following her five years as director of the South Berwick Public Library and two years as assistant director and adult services librarian at the Kennebunk Free Library.

“In a sense, it’s a homecoming for me,” Ney said. Ney grew up in Lewiston, and she has frequented both Lewiston and Auburn libraries.

Ney added that the library had grown considerably since her childhood, both in size and in reach within the community.

With a master’s degree in business from the University of Notre Dame, a law degree from the University of Southern Maine and a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of South Carolina, Ney’s resume is as diverse as the reference section at APL.

“I’ve had a number of careers,” Ney said, adding substitute teaching, banking, law, tax law and a brief stint in manufacturing near Detroit to her resume.

“It’s been a great use of all my education,” she said of her experience, believing that her multiple disciplines give her a different perspective.

Don’t mistake Ney for a wanderer, though — she has dedicated herself to libraries since 2006, currently holding a position as consultant for the Maine State Library, Southern Maine Library District in Portland.

However, growing up and working locally doesn’t mean you will be neighbors with Ney any time soon. She plans to keep her southern Maine home.

No longer having to navigate around Portland, Ney said her commute from Kennebunk will only cost her an extra 20 minutes — just enough time to listen to her favorite audio books.

Eager to begin, Ney said she wants to jump in and continue to focus on the great service she sees at APL.

“I consider it a model library,” Ney said. It’s a “fabulous resource and asset for the city.”

Ney said she would like to capitalize on the community connections the library has been making and continue to build in-roads. Not content to sit in her office, Ney said she looks forward to getting out and meeting the people of Auburn.

Ney said she wants to talk to people in the community and find out how the library can provide services or adjust existing services to better meet the public needs.

“It’s very important for a librarian to be out in the community,” Ney said, pointing out how easy it is to stay in the building and keep your focus there.

With so much going on at the library, and more to come, Ney said she wants to reach out to the community to better publicize all they have to offer. For example, Ney said, the Children’s Department has “a lot going on.” Beyond copies of “Blueberries for Sal” and a well-placed seating area, there is a method at work.

The Children’s Department is a designated Family Place Library. This designation is earned through trainings and incorporation of the core components of the national program, which focuses on literacy, health and parental involvement.

The APL also offers small-business services, conference rooms, lectures and a teen space that commonly hosts local teens’ art, music and poetry.

Ney is a member of the Southern Maine Library District Executive Board, as well as the American Library Association and the Maine Library Association. She is a 1998 Jefferson Award winner.

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Aspects of the Family Place Library include:

* Special multimedia collections to reach all stages of childhood.

* A specially designed welcoming space for families.

* Parent/child workshops that utilize professionals to educate about literacy and early intervention.

* Coalition building with community agencies.

* Developmentally appropriate programming.

* Library staff trained in family support.