Opetoritse Adefolalu, the children’s librarian at the Lower Mills branch of the Boston Public Library, strives to make the Richmond Street building an oasis for everyone who walks in the door. The children he serves fondly call him “Mr. Ritse,” pronounced “Ree-shay.”

The 32-year-old Washington, DC., native of North Carolina is a competitive chess player and talented musician who loves passing along his passions to young library-goers through Chess Club and Music Hour. He also leads Story Time, Lego Club, and Game Time programs for his eager clients.

When he’s not busy with programming, Adefolalu can be found helping youngsters any way he can, according to Katherine Duffy, a full-time nanny in Dorchester and Milton and a frequent visitor to the Lower Mills branch, where Adefolalu has led children’s services for the last four-and-a-half years.

“It is not often that you find someone who is so into helping the community, kids of all kinds, especially [from] lower incomes,” said Duffy. “There are kids that I know of that don’t see their parents from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and they go to see Mr. Ritse for after-school homework help and stuff like that. He’s a pillar of the community.”

Adefolalu first came to the Boston area to attend Harvard University, where he received a B.A. in English Literature. 
“English was always my favorite subject,” said Adefolalu, who grew up reading and admiring the likes of William Faulkner and Toni Morrison. “I had wanted to become an author, the next great American writer, that sort of thing. But around the end of college, I realized I didn’t really know how to write about the things I wanted to write about.”

He considered a career as a school teacher, he said, but he “didn’t want to deal with all the headaches of kids like me who thought they were too cool for school or making trouble in whatever ways,” he added jokingly.

“After some thought, I kind of remembered going to the library as a kid and saw that as something kind of in between. Teaching, but with more freedom.” 

Adefolalu earned a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and then worked at the Inglewood Public Library in Los Angeles before moving back to Boston.

Now a Roxbury resident, he has become a fixture at the Lower Mills branch where he’s focused on “trying to hit those sort of early literacy goals, and other types of literacy as well.” He added, “Literacy isn’t just literal reading of books, but also media literacy, literacy on how to navigate the world, social literacy, and how to build relationships.” 

Duffy, who first met Adefolalu in 2021, says his programs are a wonderful resource for caregivers and parents, too.

“A lot of these kids don’t go to school yet, and a lot of programs around here cost money,” Duffy told The Reporter. “This is free, and engaging, which is helpful for families in this community.

“The programs that he runs also provide much-needed socializing for caregivers. Moms, dads, grandmas, nannies – we are hanging with kids all day long, and having an adult to chat with for a little while is nice.”

Duffy, who lives in Quincy, has seen the influence Adefolalu has on the kids firsthand. “I can feel and see that he wants to have an impact. The little girl that I nanny for, Abby, her confidence has skyrocketed. [Mr. Ritse] makes people feel seen and heard even though he went to Harvard and he’s this wonderful musician.”  

For Adefolalu, the feeling is mutual.

“I think Lower Mills has a great mix of people. There is a very diverse community that I appreciate,” he said. “All the caregivers are willing to invest and help. It feels like a community partnership. I’m very grateful for the community that we got there.”