Growing up, Jim Hutchens never imagined he would become a librarian. When he graduated from high school in Pennsylvania, he went to play football at St. Francis College (now St. Francis University) in Loretto, PA. His time at St. Francis ended when he was injured, so he enrolled at Clarion University and majored in history.

“There weren’t a lot of opportunities being a history major,” said Hutchens, who remembers telling his advisor at the time, “I’d like to be a history professor like Indiana Jones or Jack Ryan.”

Instead, his advisor pointed him in the direction of a graduate program in library sciences, but Hutchens wasn’t interested. He tried his hand at personal training and restaurant management, but neither of those were a good fit. When his former advisor tracked him down and once again suggested a graduate assistantship in library science, Hutchens put on a suit, went to the interview, and changed the trajectory of his career.

His path veered again when his mother gave him a gift of a vacation at a timeshare in Fort Lauderdale. Hutchens said, “I asked myself, ‘why would I ever go back to Pennsylvania?’” and decided to move.

He responded to an ad for a position of distance education librarian at Nova Southeastern University (NSU), won the job, and began his career at NSU. After a year, he accepted a position for document delivery. His next move was to director for library systems, a position he held for 15 years.

At the suggestion of one of his NSU mentors, Lydia Acosta, Hutchens then applied to become the executive director of the Alvin Sherman Library. Soon after accepting that job, he was presented with an opportunity to fill his current role—vice president for information services and university librarian.

Now, as a member of NSU’s Fellows Society, Hutchens is giving back to the Alvin Sherman Library, Research, and Information Technology Center, hoping to help other staff members pursue their career paths.

“At NSU, I’ve had five jobs, and each step of the way, I had professional development opportunities,” he said. “We don’t have the funding right now to give everyone the same opportunities I had.

“What I wanted to do was have a fund so that librarians—and not just librarians, but all library staff—could have professional development opportunities.” he added.

Hutchens noted that one of the reasons he stayed at NSU for more than 20 years is that he could see opportunities to grow and rise at the library.

“When I did my first interview, this building that I’m sitting in wasn’t even built, but I was shown the plans,” he said. “I realized I would be on the ground floor of this growth.”

Hutchens said that he also really enjoys the atmosphere of both South Florida and of the Alvin Sherman Library itself. He appreciates the variety of cultures, countries, backgrounds, and socioeconomic stories found in the community and the library.

“Working at the Alvin Sherman Library is a really a treat or a delight because it’s a joint-use library. You walk into the atrium and you’ll see three generations at a story time—a little child, dad, and grandma. On the third floor, you’ll have three Health Professions Division students working, and if you go up to the fourth floor, there will be graduate students in a study room.

“The Alvin Sherman Library is a unique and special place,” he added. “It’s not just a beautiful building, but what we do here is really special.”

“My favorite thing about the university is that I’ve always seen it as a place for opportunity. Now I want to grow and enhance my own staff so they’ll stay here with Nova Southeastern University.”