Stutzman concludes role as Director of Library Services
Published: June 26, 2025
By Annette Brill Bergstresser
ELKHART, Indiana (Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary) — Karl Stutzman, MLS, of Goshen, Indiana, plans to end his time as Director of Library Services for Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) in Elkhart, Indiana, on July 24, 2025, after nearly 17 years of service. He has accepted the position of Library Director for Milford (Indiana) Public Library.
Stutzman, who joined the AMBS Library in 2008, served in various support roles before being appointed as Director of Library Services in 2016. In this role, he has increased the library’s collections and expanded online access to Anabaptist-Mennonite resources, working closely with AMBS faculty and staff members and library colleagues in peer institutions. AMBS students and employees currently have immediate access to approximately 500,000 print and electronic books and journals through the library.
According to AMBS Vice President and Academic Dean Beverly Lapp, EdD, Stutzman’s exceptional leadership and holistic vision for the library have provided significant support for the seminary’s work of forming leaders for the church.
“Karl’s strong advocacy for student learning and access to resources has been notable via his direct work with students, engagement with the Pedagogy Advisory Group, leadership of extensive orientation and resourcing workshops for instructors, and willingness to give instructional time to our courses,” she said. “We will greatly miss his kindness and his generous spirit, as well as his readiness to problem-solve and innovate for the greater good of the institution.”
Stutzman has played an integral role in expanding the seminary’s capacity to provide online education by building the library’s e-book collection and adding other digital resources, Lapp noted. He brought the AMBS Bookstore and Writing Services into the library system, which led to increased interactions with students, faculty and community members. He actively built up the library’s resources for strengthening intercultural competence and undoing racism, also receiving training to serve as a Qualified Administrator for the IDI (Intercultural Development Inventory).
In 2024, Stutzman collaborated with David Cramer, PhD, Core Adjunct Faculty, to develop a research and writing curriculum for new students that has been incorporated into the seminary’s orientation course for all graduate students. He also has worked to develop and implement policies for managing and accessing library materials.
A highlight for Stutzman has been working on “open access” projects, in which scientific and scholarly literature is made freely available via the internet. Significant projects have included developing the Spanish-language Biblioteca Digital Anabautista (Anabaptist Digital Library) and collaborating with Mennonite-related library, historical and archival organizations to digitize and provide free online access to full-text versions of historical Mennonite periodicals.
Indeed, collaboration has been a hallmark of Stutzman’s work, Lapp noted. He has freely shared his gifts with partner organizations and library networks, cultivating strong relationships with peers locally, regionally and nationally. From 2020 to 2025, he served as an elected member of the Board of Directors of Atla (American Theological Library Association), including as Vice President (2024–25). Atla is a global association of librarians and information professionals that “promotes worldwide scholarly communication in religion and theology” and produces renowned digital research databases on both topics (atla.com).
He also has been a valued leader and trusted colleague within PALNI (Private Academic Library Network of Indiana), Lapp said. As a coordinator for PALNI (2012–16) — which serves 24 private academic institutions across the state — Stutzman helped facilitate a major automated library system migration and implement the PALShare resource sharing network. He also served on PALNI’s Board of Directors (2016–25), including as chair (2018–19).
Other professional involvements for Stutzman have included the ALI (Academic Libraries of Indiana) and CATLA (Chicago Area Theological Library Association, now defunct). A special tie has been his connection with the Mennonite Historical Library at Goshen (Indiana) College.
Stutzman has been a frequent presenter at gatherings of these associations, and he has worked with colleagues at peer libraries to co-author articles that have appeared in the Atla Summary of Proceedings. These opportunities for collaborative work have been particularly fulfilling for him.
Other especially formative and meaningful experiences for Stutzman have included receiving mentoring from Eileen Saner, MLS, MA, former Director of Library Services, who retired in 2016 after 30 years of service; working with and getting to know AMBS students from all over the world; and participating in returning a rare copy of the English-Cheyenne Dictionary to the Southern Cheyenne Mennonite community where it originated.
Stutzman earned a Master of Library Science from Indiana University in 2009 and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Goshen College in 2003. While working at AMBS, he also took the opportunity to experience seminary as a student, completing a Graduate Certificate in Theological Studies in 2016.
Located in Elkhart, Indiana, on ancestral land of the Potawatomi and Miami peoples, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary is a learning community with an Anabaptist vision, offering theological education for learners both on campus and at a distance as well as a wide array of lifelong learning programs — all with the goal of educating followers of Jesus Christ to be leaders for God’s reconciling mission in the world.
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