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Bartholomew County Public Library Director announces resignation

Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 1:50 PM

Courtesy-BCPL

COLUMBUS, Ind. — Jason Hatton, Director of the Bartholomew County Public Library, has turned in his resignation after nearly 20 years of service to the library system.

Hatton began his career at BCPL as a Reference Librarian on June 6, 2006, and served several leadership roles before becoming Director. His final day will be determined in coordination with the President of the Library Board, and the transition is expected to take place near the end of June or early July.

“Serving this library and this community has been one of the great honors of my life,” Hatton said. “BCPL is the library that helped shape who I am, and I will always be grateful for the opportunity to give back to an institution that meant so much to my family and me. I am incredibly proud of what this library has become and confident that it is well-positioned for its next chapter.”

During Hatton’s tenure as Director, BCPL experienced significant growth in facilities, services, partnerships, and community engagement. The library opened its first new branch since 1969 with the Eastside Branch, expanded its role as a community partner, strengthened outreach and mobile services, and advanced major planning efforts for the future of the library system.

BCPL also recently completed the community engagement and planning process for its Next Chapter Action Plan, which will help guide future decisions about facilities, services, partnerships, and long-term investments.

The Bartholomew County Public Library Board of Trustees has named Vanessa Martin as Interim Director following Hatton’s departure. Martin currently serves as Assistant Director and was formerly the Director of the Greensburg-Decatur County Public Library. The Board will be appointing a search committee to guide the process of identifying BCPL’s next Director.

Library services, programs, and operations will continue as normal throughout the transition.

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