1 in 8700: David Clark

After 40 years in the library business, Director of Middlebury’s Ilsley Public Library David Clark will be retiring next month. Clark noted that he is “lucky because he has really enjoyed his work … other people get into careers that might have been fun at first, but eventually lose interest.” Clark added that in his 40 years of work, he has never had doubts about whether his career was a good fit for him. His job has suited him well and he discovers new and exciting things about it all the time.

Clark’s journey into the business began after his undergraduate years at Indiana University. As a sociology major, he was unsure of what to do right out of college. Conveniently, however, Indiana’s Graduate Library School held the answer. “I had always been drawn to libraries,” says Clark, “so I stayed at IU and participated in their program.”

Clark “got into libraries at a time when there was a scarcity of librarians working in rural areas.” Because of this shortage, Clark received federal grants and scholarships from the Maryland Library Association.

Right out of graduate school, Clark landed his first job in Harford County, M.D., which was, at the time, a so-called “rural area.” Now, ironically, Harford is home to nearly a quarter of a million people.

As branch manager in Harford, he oversaw four different libraries and was also responsible for opening a new facility. This job allowed Clark to “buy new books and start things in a new way.” After playing a supervisory role for 13 years in Maryland and gaining much experience, Clark followed his partner to the Philadelphia area where he helped convert an old elementary school into a new facility for the Indian Valley Public Library.

After Pennsylvania, Clark and his partner moved to Shelburne, Vt. Clark worked for a brief period as the Regional Consultant at the State Library north of Burlington in Georgia. His work involved consulting and advising for all libraries in Chittenden, Lamoille, Franklin, and Grande Isle County.

While Clark enjoyed this work, he noted that there was “something about the bureaucracy of a state organization” that he didn’t like. As a result, Clark searched for a new job. Fortunately for everyone who knows and appreciates Clark’s outstanding work, that “new job” was at Middlebury’s Ilsley Public Library.

In all his library experiences, Clark has never been employed as librarian but rather has always played a supervisory role. Nonetheless, Clark “never set himself above doing the most mundane chores of the library, whether that meant mopping a floor or checking in books,” said Chris Kirby, the adult services librarian at Ilsley. “Clark has clearly always been a true team player. His leadership style aligns with the Rotary motto, ‘Service Above Self,’” Kirby added.

During his time at Ilsley, Clark has certainly proved himself to be an outstanding director. Clark, in Kirby’s opinion, “embodies the qualities an organization looks for in a leader: ethical, accessible to both staff and the public, adaptable to change and welcoming to innovation.” Moreover, Clark has been extremely focused on improving the library and its services. “He strives to be at once practical and bold in shaping the direction of the organization,” says Kirby.

During his time working in Middlebury, Clark has helped to expand the physical footprint of Ilsley. Not only does the library offer traditional book lending services, but it now also offers frequent lectures and other services, such as helping people obtain income tax forms. Youth Services Librarian at Ilsley Sarah Lawton remarked, “David has created many opportunities for community members to become involved in the library as volunteers, supporters of the Friends of Ilsley Public Library and through participation in public programs.  He really draws people in and makes them feel part of the library.”
Since there was no school last week for many Middlebury children, the library offered a series of film making classes that culminated in a final showing on Friday, Feb. 22.

Clark has gone above and beyond, making Ilsley a bustling place that is truly connected to its patrons. “As a director, David has always encouraged his staff members to take initiative, to experiment, all in the interest of the community the library serves,” Kirby said.

But despite the extra programs that the library now offers, one might still wonder whether the need for libraries is diminishing. When asked if, in an age of technological advancement, he has seen a decline in library use, Clark noted that he has actually seen the opposite. In his 17 years at Ilsley, Clark believes that today there are more people using the library than ever. Indeed in the 21st century the way information is conveyed and people are entertained is changing rapidly, but this happens all the time.

Moreover, Clark noted that new technologies open the door to myriad new customer service opportunities. For example, the concept of having a “cloud-based collection” is becoming increasingly more attractive for libraries such as Ilsley. As libraries increasingly deliver digital content, storage requirements can strain their local resources. Libraries are and will continue to adapt to technological change by adopting services such as Amazon’s S3 with Amazon CloudFront and DuraSpace’s DuraCloud.

Whereas libraries would traditionally purchase books and lend them to customers, with these new services, libraries can now provide e-books to customers. Books are not held physically within the building but are instead “in the cloud” said Clark. Libraries can now lease rights or access to e-books on the behalf of customers so they don’t have to buy or lease themselves.
Clark notes enthusiastically that there is so much out there that libraries can offer customers. Today, a Middlebury resident can borrow a rare and specialized book from Australia from a “cloud” server in Salt Lake City, and they can do it all at their local library.

Clark said that he is sad to be retiring at a time when there is so much potential growth for the library’s footprint. Clark will also miss the sociability of the workplace. Over the years, Clark has developed priceless relationships with colleagues and customers that he will be sad to leave behind.

Clark will be greatly missed by his colleagues as well. “I will miss his impressive ability to move from high level thinking to the day-to-day operation of the library,” said Lawton. “He has always made himself available to staff and library patrons and we will all miss his dignified and welcoming presence,” she added.

Clark remarks that he wanted to leave on a holiday, and thus will be retiring on the Ides of March. Despite his retirement, there continue to be many exciting events on the horizon for Clark. As a member of the board of the Opera Company of Middlebury, Clark looks forward to their 10th anniversary season. The 2013 season brings Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, which will be playing May 21 – June 8. Clark is also a member of Middlebury’s Rotary Club. In the past he led a group to South Africa and he hopes to make similar trips in the future.