APLD’s New Director
Congratulations to Leslie Sutherlin, the Aurora Public Library District’s new director! For 30 years, Sutherlin has been part of the South Dearborn Community Schools’ family, working as the District School Librarian, but now she will be directing the APLD branches at Aurora, Dillsboro, and the Aurora Depot Local History Library.
Raised in Dillsboro and an alum of South Dearborn High School, Sutherlin brings familiarity with Dearborn County to the job. Her parents, Paul and Karen Filter, retired from Filter Funeral Homes about 17 years ago, but have continued to be active members of the Dillsboro community. Sutherlin grew up in a home just down the street from Dillsboro Public Library.
Though Dillsboro marks her “hometown,” Sutherlin also spent time living in Aurora at the Filter Funeral Home location on Fourth Street. During her summers home from Butler University and for many years after she started working in education, she enjoyed her time in downtown Aurora, just blocks from Hillforest.
As newlyweds, Sutherlin and her husband started their married life and family in Aurora, but they now live in Milan with their three children: Elizabeth, Sam, and Parker. She is active in St. Paul Lutheran Church in Milan, Milan Dollars for Scholars, and Aurora Tri Kappa.
Professionally, Sutherlin has been a Teacher Librarian, but her participation in the Indiana Library Federation (ILF) has allowed her to become familiar with public library concerns and operations. She has served as President of the ILF and has served on many committees, most recently the Youth Services committee. Aside from ILF, she has served on the Council of State School Library Supervisors, and she helped create the Mackin Hoosier-Buckeye Shared Digital Collection, which brings thousands of ebooks to students of even the smallest schools across Indiana and Ohio for a reasonable price.
While only starting at Aurora Public Library District just a short while ago, many big plans are on the horizon for APLD. Summer reading kicks off on June 4 with free Donut Day—the first 50 people to sign up for Summer Reading get a free donut. Please continue checking our website for more updates about Summer Reading programming. The Local History Library at the Depot is also undergoing a makeover; the space is expected to reopen in August, after getting a new paint job and some updated organization.
When asked about her new position, Sutherlin commented, “While I will definitely miss my wonderful students and colleagues at SD, this is a great opportunity to serve those communities in a broader, perhaps more impactful way.”
Original source can be found here.
