(Posted Dec. 15, 2016)
London Public Library announces the resignation of library Director Mike Hensel effective Dec. 31. The community is invited to extend their well wishes to Hensel at a farewell reception set for 5 to 7 p.m. Dec. 22 on the library’s main floor. Cake and punch will be served.
Hensel started his career at the library in 1997 when he was hired as a part-time clerk. Within a few weeks of his hire, he was offered a full-time position as a reference assistant. Over the years, Hensel continued to develop his skills to meet the needs of the library and eventually took on roles in public relations, marketing and information technology.
In 2009, he completed his master’s degree in library science and took the role of the youth services manager. His opportunity at the director’s post came in August 2010, when the then director, Gary Branson, took a new post as the director of the Marion Public Library.
During Hensel’s tenure, the library went through the economic recession and several capital improvement initiatives. The latest capital venture involved the renovation of the library’s main floor in 2014. The library also joined the Central Library Consortium in 2014, expanding access to library materials from 45,000 items to over 5 million.
In January, Hensel will join the Dayton Metro Library System as manager of the Wilmington Stroop branch. The library is one of the system’s larger branches and serves the Kettering area. As part of a $187 million bond issue passed by Montgomery County voters in 2012, the library is slated to be demolished at the end of 2017 and rebuilt to twice its current size.
Hensel said he is very grateful for the opportunities the London Public Library has provided him over the years and is confident that the library will continue its history of great service, while seeking out opportunities to do more for the com-munity.
