The end of ALA’s Annual Conference usually marks the end of ALSC’s governance and committee service years, with the next one beginning July 1. We’ve had a year like no other. ALSC’s division report to council can be found on the ALA website. It covers ALSC activity through May 2021. It’s a long one, but I hope you’ll take an opportunity to browse it and learn about our accomplishments and challenges faced as a division. You can also check out the recording from our membership meeting or view the slides that provide a brief overview of what ALSC has been up to (During our meeting, Liz McChesney, our 2021 Distinguished Service Award recipient gave her acceptance remarks! Check it out!)
THANK YOU to Kirby McCurtis for leading ALSC with confidence and flair!
THANK YOU to our outgoing Board members: Cecilia McGowan, Elisa Gall, Africa Hands, and Sujei Lugo for their thoughtful leadership over the last three years!
THANK YOU to our outgoing committee co-chairs and members. You volunteered your time and energy during a year where there was probably very little of both. I hope you have found opportunities to build connection and community during your committee year. Those last June committee meetings can be full of joy and a bunch of other emotions (amirite Membership Committee?!)
As I reflect on the year we’ve all had, I always, always come back to Lucia Gonzalez’s Vice President’s column from November 2020 where she wrote, “Throughout this time of transformations and uncertainties, ALSC performed its unifying role by being the platform where children’s library workers meet for the exchange of ideas, information, and best practices…” Whether serving on our Board, on a committee, writing, or presenting, I hope our community continues to see ALSC as their “home” within ALA and as a unifier of ideas.