Grond named Northwestern's library director

Greta Grond has been named Northwestern College’s director of the DeWitt Library. A member of the library staff for seven years, she had been serving as interim director since Dr. Tim Schlak left last summer to become library director at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh.

“I’m eager to continue fostering an environment that promotes learning and exploration,” says Grond. “Students here at Northwestern have critical questions, and the library wants to provide the resources, services and technologies to support their inquiries.”

Grond joined Northwestern’s staff in 2007 as a project assistant before becoming the college’s research and systems librarian in 2011.

“Greta has a clear vision for the role of a Christian liberal arts college library in a rapidly changing environment, a collegial approach to leadership, and a commitment to work with faculty, staff and students to establish priorities for the library,” says Dr. Jasper Lesage, Northwestern’s provost. “I’m looking forward to seeing her build on a strong program and work with an outstanding staff to accomplish strategic goals for Northwestern College.”

Grond previously worked as an interactive specialist for Breukelman Kubista Group out of Sioux Falls, S.D. Her responsibilities included developing websites, researching market opportunities and working with clients on marketing strategies. Grond plans on using her extensive experience with website creation to help the library thrive in a virtual environment.

“The library world is changing rapidly, and DeWitt Library needs to be nimble and innovative when responding to the changes technology is making possible,” says Grond. “I'm particularly excited to continue to work with the talented and committed library staff in developing new ways to meet the needs of our students and faculty.”

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in history from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., Grond earned a master’s degree in library and information science from Wayne State University in Detroit. She was one of the authors of a pictorial book about the history of Orange City released last year as part of the “Images of America” series by Arcadia Publishing.