A former English teacher and high school drama director/coach, Diane P. Tuccillo earned her MLS degree from Rutgers University in 1980. After serving as Young Adult Librarian at the Rutherford (NJ) Public Library and the Reading (MA) Public Library, she became the long-time Young Adult Coordinator at the City of Mesa Library in Arizona where she led a dynamic, nationally-known library teen advisory group for 27 years. Most recently, she was Teen Services Librarian at the Poudre River Public Library District in Fort Collins, Colorado from 2007 until 2017 where she co-led a vibrant Interesting Reader Society teen advisory group.
Tuccillo has been actively involved in and has received awards from several professional organizations, including the Young Adult Library Services Association, the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the National Council of Teachers of English, and the Arizona Library Association; has been a book reviewer and article contributor for professional journals such as School Library Journal and Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) magazine; has contributed to books such as Nilsen & Donelson's classic Literature for Today's Young Adults; and has been a regular and an Emeritus member of the VOYA advisory board. Her second book, Teen-Centered Library Service: Putting Youth Participation into Practice, was published by Libraries Unlimited in 2010; her third book, the completely revised and updated second edition of Library Teen Advisory Groups (the first edition originally published by Scarecrow in 2005) was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018; and her fourth book, Totally Tweens & Teens: Youth-Created and Youth-Led Library Programs, was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2020. Her article on teens in charge of library fundraisers, "Teens at the Helm: Library Fundraisers," was published in Voice of Youth Advocates magazine in June 2018, and her books mention how teens and librarians can partner with their Friends of the Library groups.
During her long librarianship career, Tuccillo worked closely with Friends of the Library members to gain support for youth library programs and activities. She also served on the Board of Directors of the City of Mesa Library in Arizona for two years between leaving that library and securing her position at the Poudre River Public Library District in Colorado. Later, she served on the Board of Directors of the Poudre River Friends of the Library and as a Poudre River Public Library volunteer for four years after retirement. She currently serves as a member of the Knox County Friends of the Library in Tennessee.
