Hello ALSC! Time sure flies as the holidays get closer. It seems I was just writing about the incredible experience I had at ALSC Institute and now we’re only two months away from LibLearnX in Phoenix! I hope I’ll have the opportunity to see many of you there. It will be a nice reprieve from the colder weather up North!
As we head toward the final LLX, including the announcements of the 2025 Youth Media Awards (Jan. 27 @ 8:00am MST), I can’t help but think about how many moving parts bring us to that moment each year. There are hundreds who volunteer every year for award and media evaluation committees, and while it is a privilege to be a part of the selection process, I know firsthand how much work is put into reading, evaluating, debating, and finally selecting the award winners and honor titles. To every member of the 2025 committees, I send out a hearty THANK YOU!
And to everyone who has volunteered but was not able to serve or was not selected, I also send out a great big THANK YOU! Along with a dedicated advisory group and ALSC staff, I am working diligently to appoint the 2026 committees, and I am so grateful for everyone who has put their names forward. There are only so many spots, so I know that not everyone will be selected; we are working hard to ensure that fresh eyes and new voices are represented on each committee, while balancing myriad other factors. In case you missed it, I did a quick rundown of the appointments process in my last post.
One of the great privileges of serving as ALSC President is getting to work with so many people who keep our whole organization running. In the face of so much unease and political/social unrest, thank you to our staff—I could go on for DAYS about our incredible ALSC staff—who keep everything operating. Because of them, our hundreds of volunteers are able to continue providing members with benefits, resources and support, whether that be in the form of booklists, programming ideas, educational resources, mentorship, and more.
And I would be remiss if I didn’t take moment to recognize and show my immense gratitude and appreciation for our blog manager, Mary Voors, who organizes the blogging schedule, works to wrangle posts from those of us who might be a bit on the forgetful side during overwhelming times of the year, and who makes sure we have teams of engaged ALSC members to live blog at events throughout the year. Thank you, Mary!
As we head into the holiday season, I want to say how grateful I am to you all for what you do, not just within our division of ALA, but out in the world. It is because of you that young people and their caregivers are able to access quality literature and other relevant resources, and it’s because of you that they have the support in these uneasy times.
I wish you all the best through December and into the New Year. I hope that you are all able to find some measure of rest and rejuvenation as the hard work continues in the coming years. I am grateful for you all and I am humbled by your brilliance and your dedication to the profession.
Onwards!
Rob Bittner, PhD (He/Him)
President, Association for Library Services to Children