:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/5IZLEFWPQTFGOPATFFQGBLU5F4.jpg)
Osceola Public Library Director Aric Bishop is leaving his position in favor of directorship at the Gibson Memorial Library in Creston.
“I am proud of all the hard work the Osceola Public Library staffm teh board and myself have beeen able to accomplish over the last couple of years,” said Bishop. “My hope is that the library in Osceola continues to be a hub for the community, filled with engaging progrmming and always strives to meet the diverse needs of our community.”
Bishop, 31, of Creston, will begin his role as library director at Gibson beginning Aug. 1. He has worked as director of the Osceola Public Library since 2018 and will finish his tenure there July 31.
Bishop started his education at Southwestern Community College in Creston, where he received his Associate of Arts degree. He transferred to Northwest Missouri State University in 2009 before finishing his final year at Grand View University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Journalism in 2011. Bishop went on to receive his Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in human resource management at Upper Iowa University in 2016. This spring, Bishop received his Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Washington.
In 2018, Bishop worked as an intern at the Shenandoah Public Library and before that he was a library assistant at SWCC’s Learning Resource Center in 2015, where he worked for three years. In addition to serving as current director at OPL, Bishop also works as an adjunct business instructor at SWCC.
“I am sad that I will not see the construction of the parking lot through to completion, but I will be submitting the grant on behalf of the library board and foundaiton board in the hope that those funds will help create the necessary off-street parking the library desperately needs,” said Bishop.
His most notable achievements at Osceola Public Library include updating 16 computers, the installation of a new server for the library, creating stronger internet connections with new access points, reimagining library services and programs through the utilization of community partners, replacing the library’s boiler with a furnace, completing a landscaping project of $17,000 and helping the library acquire a house across the street from the library to be turned into a parking lot.
The library board is reviewing applicants and will begin interviewing for the director position in the coming weeks. Bishop hopes to be able to train his replacement before his last day July 31.