We are pleased to announce that Pam Seabolt is the new Indiana Community Engagement Librarian. Pam most recently worked at the Jeffersonville Township Public Library, where she managed the Clarksville Branch and led several community engagement initiatives. Pam comes to us as a Public Innovator, having participated in the ALA/Harwood Public Innovators Lab for Libraries.  Her first day with MCLS will be August 28.  We asked Pam to tell us a little about herself.

Q: Tell us a little about your background. How did you get started in libraries?

A: My love of libraries started as a child. I was a voracious reader and my parents couldn’t keep enough books for me. I still remember the first time my parents let me ride my bike to the library by myself, I was so excited. That love of libraries has always been with me. I started working in libraries while in high school. I worked in my small, local Carnegie library through high school and continued working in libraries through college. While working as the manager, and the only employee, of a small rural branch library, I got my degree in Library Science. I have pretty much been around libraries my whole life.

Q: What do you like to do when you aren’t working?

A: I have a lot of hobbies, depending on my mood! I love crafting, and I do quilling, other paper crafts, sewing, and crochet. I also love hiking and exploring what’s around me. I love new experiences. And of course reading, and more reading.

Q: What motivated you to take on this new role?

A: I love taking on new challenges. I have worked in so many aspects of the library, and I wanted to help Indiana libraries think creatively about their challenges and how we can partner together to meet those challenges.

Q: What are you most excited to start working on?

A: I’m excited to start working on helping explore the idea of community engagement and what that means in libraries. There are so many wonderful things about all of the different types of libraries, and each plays a crucial role in their communities. I’m excited to start working with everyone!