In an effort to help ALSC members make an informed decision before they vote, today’s blog post consists of statements from the six candidates standing for election to the 2023-24 ALSC Board of Directors; three candidates will be elected.
ALSC BOARD OF DIRECTORS CANDIDATES
Allison Knight is standing for election as an ALSC Board of Directors candidate.
Since the beginning of my career, I have looked to ALSC as the preeminent professional organization for those of us serving children, their parents, their families, and their educators in the library. The professional development opportunities, practitioner resources, and advocacy that ALSC provides are more than worth much more than the membership fee.
I have had the privilege of serving on the Notable Children’s Recordings committee as both committee member and chair, on the National Institute planning task force, and on the Membership Committee, again as both committee member and (current) co-chair. Additionally, I have benefited from awards from ALSC, including as recipient of a Building STEAM with Día mini-grant. Beyond that, the networking opportunities, work relationships, and friendships I have made through ALSC continue to be invaluable to my growth as a youth services librarian.
Speaking of the wonderful humans who make ALSC what it is, the Membership Committee of course spends much of its time focused on what makes our organization great and how to convey that to potential members, but we also spend a lot of time discussing the opportunities that ALSC has for growth, and how to continue to grow the membership in a way that will make the organization more reflective of the workforce it represents, as well as the communities we serve. I am so energized at the thought of serving ALSC further on the Board of Directors. I will continue to ask those difficult questions and make the most of being in a position to help direct the organization’s response.
I so appreciate this opportunity, and thank you for your participation as a voter!
– Allison Knight
Stephanie Prato is standing for election as an ALSC Board of Directors candidate.
I am pleased to be considered for the ALSC Board, as ALSC has been such an important and fulfilling part of my work in children’s librarianship. I am currently the Head of Children’s Services at the Simsbury Public Library, CT. My current role on the library’s leadership team is a great mix of managing staff and direct work with the public in programs and across the desk.
I have been an ALSC member for nearly 10 years and have been privileged to work on and co-chair several committees, including the Early Childhood Programs Services Committee and the School-Aged Programs and Services Committee (SAPS). I am especially proud of SAPS work last year on the 21 Day Racial Equity Challenge. Nearly all of the projects I’ve worked on focus on learning and development, with a strong EDI focus.
I have met so many wonderful people through ALSC and access to this diverse network of peers is one of the best parts of membership. I am always impressed with the passion, ideas and innovation of our members and hope to amplify the voices of others in my role on the Board. Thank you for your consideration. I would be honored to dedicate my time and skills to this important role.
– Stephanie Prato
Katie Lawrence is standing for election as an ALSC Board of Directors candidate.
I am honored to run for the ALSC Board. As a board member, I will work with you to create a better ALSC. I am not afraid to speak up or ask hard questions. Because I have worked in many different settings, I am uniquely prepared to champion the needs of ALSC members from a variety of fields.
My 8 years of committee experience lend me perspective on many facets of the association. I have served on many ALSC committees including Programming, the 2022 Newbery Committee, Organization & Bylaws, Building Partnerships, and Membership. I was a mentor for the ALSC Mentorship Program and a 2018 Bill Morris Seminar participant.
I currently supervise 11 paraprofessionals and 9 school libraries throughout my district. I am building this new position daily as I coach and advocate for my staff, and battle in the trenches against censorship. I will work to ensure all library workers feel supported by ALSC. The extreme rise in censorship attempts is of great concern. I would like to see ALSC do more to support members fighting book banning. EDI is also important to me, especially ensuring LGBTQIA+ and marginalized children feel safe and seen in libraries.
I’d love your vote!
– Katie Lawrence
Tanya DiMaggio is standing for election as an ALSC Board of Directors candidate.
My name is Tanya DiMaggio and I am standing as a candidate for the ALSC Board. With over twenty-five years of experience in the field as a children’s librarian, a manager, and an administrator, I have seen a whole generation grow up. I’ve seen trends develop in programming as well as literature. I’ve seen our field grow ever more inclusive. I would be honored to lend my expertise and perspective to serve children and families on a national scale by serving on the ALSC Board.
I have been active in ALSC for the past five years. I am currently serving on the Research Committee. I served on the Managing Children’s Services Committee for the 2020-2022 term. While on this committee I co-presented two webinars and served on a panel at the 2022 ALSC Institute. I have twice been a mentor in the Mentorship program. I have written a few ALSC Blog posts for the MCS Committee and have been a guest blogger. I participated in the Bill Morris Seminar at the 2022 ALSC Institute.
My professional concerns include outreach, professional development and mentorship, and helping librarians create welcoming spaces for neurodiverse children. Finally, my most immediate professional concern is defending the freedom of librarians to choose the materials they know their patrons need and want.
– Tanya DiMaggio
Esmeralda Majors is standing for election as an ALSC Board of Directors candidate.
I am excited and honored to stand for election as a candidate for the Board of Directors. As a former bilingual classroom teacher and librarian, I feel I bring a diverse viewpoint beneficial to
the Board.
Over the span of my career, it has been my privilege to have served across divisions, affiliates, and chapters of the American Library Association. Most recently I served on ALSC’s 2022 Randolph Caldecott Award Committee. I was also the Co-Chair of the Authors Committee for the 2021 AASL National Conference and a selection committee member of REFORMA’s 2019 Noche de Cuentos Mini-Grant Program. Additionally, I am proud to be a member of the TALL Texan Class of 2019. I am grateful for these experiences and believe I have been successful in my various leadership and participatory roles by listening and learning from the viewpoints and ideas of other group members.
I take this opportunity very seriously and commit to upholding ALSC’s core values and excellence in service to children. ALSC is a great organization and, if elected, I look forward to working with the rest of the Board, Leadership Team, and At-Large Members to continue making ALSC even stronger and more dynamic.
– Esmeralda Majors
Danielle Jones is standing for election as an ALSC Board of Directors candidate.
Being an ALSC member for the past thirteen years in my career as a youth-focused library
paraprofessional, student, librarian, and now manager, ALSC and its community has been a
source of support, inspiration, and professional development, and It is my esteemed honor to
stand for election as a candidate for the ALSC Board of Directors.
Serving as both member and chair of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion within ALSC Implementation Taskforce for the past six-years, I have had the honor to support with two different ALSC strategic plans that prioritized centering equity, removing barriers to participation, and striving to create a more diverse membership that is more representative of the communities that we serve. I look forward to continuing to create and support engagement and professional development opportunities to support ASLC membership, and in turn support their youth, families, and community partners.
I have been fortunate to serve on several other ALSC Committees (Notable Children’s Books, Building Partnerships, Sibert, Newbery, and Budget), and have served on several state library boards and as an ALA Chapter Councilor. It would be an honor to bring this experience to a new strategic plan, and to further goals of making ALSC more inclusive, transparent, and responsive organization.
– Danielle Jones
The 2023 ALA Election opens Monday, March 13th and closes Wednesday, April 5th. To learn more, please visit Amy Koester’s blogpost Leadership, the ALSC Governance Slate for 2023, and What Every Member Can Do. And don’t forget to vote!