In an effort to help ALSC members make an informed decision before they vote, today’s blog post consists of statements from three of the candidates standing for election to the 2026-27 ALSC Board of Directors. Six candidates are on the ballot, three candidates will be elected. All candidates submitted a written statement.
Today’s post consists of statements from ALSC Board of Director candidates Renee Ting, Matthew Layne, and Allie Stevens Gosselink. Tomorrow’s post will include statements from Heather Love Beverley, Deadra (Dee) O. Brown, and Ramona Caponegro.
My name is Renee Ting, and it is an honor to stand for election to the ALSC Board of Directors. I am the Manager of Youth, Bookmobile, and Outreach at the Mountain View Public Library in Mountain View, CA, where I oversee youth, teen, and parenting services as well as our bookmobile and community engagement efforts. Through my 11 years in libraries and many more as publisher of Shen’s Books (now an imprint of Lee & Low Books) and as a children’s bookseller, I have been guided by these core ideas:
- Access to diverse library resources for all
- Reaching underserved communities
- Mentoring youth
- Promoting early literacy and development
- Engaging parents
- Elevating librarianship
- Strengthening libraries and library organizations
I currently serve as co-chair of the Library Services to Underserved Children and Their Caregivers committee, served on the 2022 Caldecott Award committee, the Mock Awards Elections Toolkit Task Force in 2023-24, and the Programming committee in 2018-19. These experiences have deepened my understanding of how ALSC can empower librarians to transform their communities and have shown me the vital role our organization plays in setting standards and championing innovation in youth and teen services.
My name is Matthew Layne (he/him). As a librarian with extensive experience serving children and teens, I am honored to be running as a candidate for the ALSC Board of Directors. I have served on the Printz, Morris, and Best Fiction for Young Adult Literature committees, and I recently served as a Director at Large for the Young Adult Library Services Association.
My love of reading began early, inspired by the poets and writers featured in Cricket Magazine, and was cemented when I first visited the Houston Love Memorial Library in Dothan, Alabama. My all-time favorite books remain Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
I served as President of the Alabama Library Association during a period of escalating censorship efforts nationwide, wherein I advocated for the rights of library patrons to freely choose their own library materials without government interference, and I continue to advocate for librarians, readers, and intellectual freedom.
My first poetry collection was published in 2023 and received the Alabama Poetry Society’s Book of the Year Award and an Alabama Author Award for Poetry from ALLA. The collection begins, “Tell me your story, and I will tell you mine.” You’ve learned a bit about me, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Hello all! My name is Allie Stevens Gosselink and I am delighted to be standing for election to the ALSC Board of Directors. Over my tenure as a rural public library director, I have worked to modernize every aspect of our services, from establishing a digital presence and launching a catalog to developing thriving programming and collections for youth. Prior to my current positions as chair of YALSA’s Awards and Selected Lists Oversight Committee and YALSA Board of Directors member, I was a 2018 ALA Emerging Leader and served several years on both YALSA’s process committees and Selected List teams, including two terms as Best Fiction for Young Adults coordinator.
I have consistently grounded my work in the belief that all library users, including minors, deserve intellectual freedom and access to reliable, useful, and developmentally relevant resources and literature. Teens and young people, in rural areas in particular, rely on accessible libraries that provide space for independent thought and learning without fear of judgment, and I hope to use my tenure on the reunified ALSC Board to continue advocating for the vital books and services librarians provide to young people at all developmental stages.
Thank you for your consideration!
The 2026 ALA Election opens Monday, March 9th and closes Wednesday, April 1st. Three candidates will be elected to the 2026-27 ALSC Board of Directors Don’t forget to vote!