The board of trustees of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library has appointed Rhoda Orenstein as library director. She assumes her new position following a two-and-a-half year stint as acting director. Prior to that, she served for seven months as assistant director to Stanley Edison, who retired in 1996.

Announcing the appointment, Board Chairman Joseph Eisner said, "We're delighted that Mrs. Orenstein will continue to lead us into the new millennium, a time of challenging new directions."

Rhoda Orenstein's familiarity with and intimate knowledge of the many facets of the library's services make her ideally suited to her new post. She came to the library in October 1971, serving as senior clerk in the reference department. Library patrons know her best from her 12 years as head of the community service department, where she was responsible for programming and public relations. During that time, Mrs. Orenstein pursued a degree in library science, which she received from C.W. Post in 1989. Moving to the reference department, she served for six years as librarian in charge of the Plainview-Old Bethpage history collection before being named assistant director.

"Being a library director at this time is a challenging endeavor," Orenstein said. "My commitment to the Plainview-Old Bethpage community is to be sure that our library continues to be one of the best in Nassau County."