Sunday, February 9, 2025

Greenfield takes over as Kasson Library Director

Growing up David Greenfield never dreamed of running a library one day. In fact, even having a career working for a library wasn’t something he put much thought in.

But after a month being promoted from circulation technician to interim director, Greenfield proved his weight, and was given a unanimous recommendation by the Kasson Public Library Board to be named the next Library Director.

The City Council approved the hiring on April 24.

In 2000, while in college at Carleton College, he worked at the library.

Then it was getting close to graduation, and like most people in their early 20s Greenfield pondered on what he would do for a career. Always musically talented, he hoped to be able to pursue a career through music.

But with fears of not being able to pay his bills he was chatting with the library director at the college who suggested he look into a career with libraries.

“I thought I’d give it a try and ended up going back to graduate school and making it a career,” Greenfield said.

Following his undergraduate career Greenfield decided to get his master’s degree in Library and Information Science.

After graduation he worked at his hometown library in Northfield, and then moved to Texas with his now wife for about a year and a half, while the Baton Rouge native wanted to live down south for a while, and had a student teaching opportunity.

While in Texas, Greenfield who’s second job is a church organist, was the music director for a church.

They would move back to Minnesota in 2019, and Greenfield was looking to work somewhere close to his hometown. As it turned out Kasson had an opening, and he was hired originally as a library assistant.

“That just sort of fell in my lap that way,” he said.

Greenfield said even when he began working in libraries as a professional, being in charge of one isn’t something he ever gave much thought into.

“ Library director was not on the career path trajectory at all… but here I am,” he said.

As circulation technician, he was the second ranking employee, so when the director position became vacant he was the natural pick to be in the interim role.

“The library board asked if I would consider being the interim director and apparently they liked what they saw because they offered me the position at the last meeting,” Greenfield said.

With the COVID-19 pandemic not all that far removed, Greenfield said the goal is to continue navigating the post pandemic era at the library.

“We’re really trying to get people back in the library,” he said, noting the plan is to try to incorporate more programming for both kids and adults “to try to get people in the door.”

 

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