ALSC Board

Thank You, Amy!

For my first ALSC Blog post as the new president of our organization, I am pleased to acknowledge the hard work of Immediate Past President Amy Koester. She is truly an exceptional, competent, smart, and generous leader, and I have learned so much this past year serving alongside her as vice president. Amy played a pivotal role in the creation of the 2023–2024 work plan for process committees, shared many templates with me, and created detailed instructions about how to do the work of presidency. Her efforts were supportive of me and, more importantly, of the overall health and well-being of ALSC. She worked diligently—as did many others—on what I believe is an excellent new strategic plan (Introducing the 2023-2026 ALSC Strategic Plan!).

ALA Annual Conference 2023

Lessons Learned from the ALSC Board at #alaac23

Every year as part of the Annual Conference, the ALSC Board hosts an orientation for incoming and current Board members. It’s a chance for Board members to review who ALSC is, why we are here, and how we do our work. Admittedly, it’s a lot of information to digest. At the same time, it’s also an opportunity for each year’s Board to come together and begin building their relationships.

ALSC Board

Meet Your ALSC Board: Maria Estrella

Monthly, we will profile current ALSC Board members. We hope to offer information about the people who work to guide the organization so that you can feel more comfortable in reaching out to them with your concerns, questions, or comments. This month, we invite you to meet ALSC Board member, Maria Estrella. How did you first get involved with ALSC? I first became involved with the Association for Library Service to Children approximately a decade ago. I was a Youth Services Subject Department Librarian, and my incredibly supportive Public Services Manager encouraged me to submit an ALSC Committee Volunteer Form.  There was limited representation of Latine librarians in the state of Ohio at that point in time, and connecting with fellow BIPOC professionals was a professional objective.  To my delight, I was selected to serve in the 2016 Pura Belpré Award with five amazing Latinas, one also being Colombian.   How…

ALSC Board

Julie Roach: ALSC Division Councilor Candidate

In an effort to help ALSC members make an informed decision before they vote, today’s blog post consists of a statement from the candidate for ALSC’s 2023-24 Division Councilor, Julie Roach. The candidate submitted a written statement. Voting begins Monday, March 13th. It is an honor to stand for election to the ALSC Board in the role of Division Councilor. I have been an active member of ALSC for 21 years. During that time, I have served in various ways and on a range of committees, most recently as chair of the 2020 Caldecott Selection Committee. I also served as a member of the ALSC Board from 2014-2017. I manage Youth Services for the Cambridge Public Library in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where I lead an outstanding youth services team in a busy public library. I review children’s literature for the Horn Book Magazine and teach as an adjunct instructor for Simmons…