Happy to be part of the Escalon community, new librarian Nazli Ali is enjoying getting to know the local library patrons and is eager to bring some fresh new ideas to the area.

She comes to Escalon from Linden, having spent almost four years as head librarian in that small community. Previously, she worked in San Mateo County and Los Gatos, after graduating from San Jose State.

“I worked at my undergrad library and really enjoyed it,” Ali shared. “I like finding information, if somebody has a difficult question, I like to find the answer.”

At Escalon, she works with part-time staffers Jodi Crawford and Tracy Meyers.

“I knew Jodi from before (working at other branches) so that was nice,” Ali said of making the transition.

As far as the Escalon branch itself, she said: “It’s similar to Linden, but bigger.”

No major changes are being planned right away, as Ali said there are several popular programs already in place at the local branch.

“We are keeping the Cookbook Club, the Science Saturdays, storytime,” she noted. “I think for the future, it will be figuring out what Escalon wants.”

Ali said community members have been very welcoming, helping her feel at home quickly. She also has already touched base with several members of the Friends of the Escalon Library group and looks forward to working cooperatively with them on upcoming programs and projects.

The next Science Saturday is scheduled for March 7 at noon, focusing on vertical gardening and plant forts. Ali said she sees an increase in visitors to the library on special program days, such as storytime Thursdays, and said various reading programs with incentives geared toward younger readers are also expected to draw in more patrons.

March will be busy, with the weekly Cookbook Club, Gadget Clinic, STEAMspace, Make or Take events and a special Reading to the Rescue program with Harvest Hope Animal Sanctuary set for Friday, March 13 at 3:30 p.m.

And although Ali admitted “it was hard” to leave the Linden location, which was her first fulltime job in the library field, she is also eager to make the Escalon branch her new home.

“It is a lot of fun,” she said of working at the local branch, adding that, with almost a decade invested in the career so far, she is happy with the path she has chosen.

The Library is at 1540 Second St., and hours are Monday and Wednesday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (closed noon to 2 p.m.); Friday, noon to 5 p.m.; and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.