Immerse Yourself in the Excitement of New Initiatives: Longtime Indiana Director Retires

The St. Joseph County Public Library (SJCPL) in South Bend, Indiana, recently said farewell to their highly regarded director of thirty­seven years, Donald Napoli, who retired on June 30th. Napoli was only the fifth director in the library’s 126­ year history and during his tenure saw many changes. The biggest trend when he started in 1977 was the move to “give them what they want,” which emphasized popular materials over well­rounded collections. This patron­driven idea was pioneered by Dr. Ernest R. DeProspo at Rutgers University and whole­heartedly embraced by Napoli, who believed that public libraries should reflect the communities they serve.