Dear AASL Chapter Forum,
I spoke at the AASL Chapter meeting at Annual -- but, I also wanted to post here for those of you who did not attend the meeting at annual.
I am on the ALA Nominating Committee this year and I am looking for candidates to run for ALA Councilor-at-Large in the upcoming ALA Spring 2027 election.
In particular, I am concerned that if we do not elect ALA Councilor-at-Large members with school library connections, school librarians will lose their voice on the council.
I've attached a "What You Should Know" flyer and I've included some information below about the number of school librarian Councilor-at-Large members in the upcoming years. I've also included information below about the election timeline.
If you are interested could you submit your nomination here:
Please let me know if you submit; so I can speak to your nomination with the committee.
Also, please reach out if you have any questions or need more information.
--Kathy Lester
MY CONCERN ABOUT LITTLE SCHOOL LIBRARIAN REPRESENTATION ON COUNCIL
I looked at the Councilors-At-Large -- and
for councilors whose seat will end in 2028 there are
0 school librarians
9 academic librarians
for councilors whose seat will end in 2029 there are
1 school librarian (Brenda Pruitt-Annisette)
5 academic librarians
5 public librarians
1 state library
Thus, if we do not elect school librarians in this next election cycle -- at ALA Annual in 2028,
there will be one school librarian as a Councilor-at-Large on the council.
ELECTION TIMELINE
The Nominating Committee will select candidates to run for president-elect, executive board member, and no fewer than 18 candidates for the 12 at-large council seats to be filled in the 2027 spring election.
The president is the association's chief spokesperson and supports advancing the mission of ALA. The president-elect will serve a three-year term: as president-elect in 2027-28, as president in 2028-29, and as immediate past president in 2029-30.
The Executive Board is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the Association and providing fiscal oversight to support ALA's long-term goals and sustainability. Members elected to the ALA Executive Board will serve a three-year term, 2027-2030.
The Council is the policy making body of ALA. The councilors-at-large will serve three-year terms, 2027-30, beginning after the 2027 ALA Annual Conference and ending at the adjournment of the 2030 Annual Conference. {i.e first Council meetings in January 2028 (virtual) & ALA Annual 2028 (virtual option available)}
ALA members are eligible to run for the positions of President-Elect and Councilor-at-Large. For the Executive Board position, eligibility is limited to Councilors, Chairs of Standing Committees, or elected leaders of Divisions or Round Tables within the past five years.
Members interested in learning more about the nomination process should visit the ALA Election Website. The deadline to submit nominations and forms is September 14, 2026.
The Nominating Committee may ask for additional information and/or schedule interviews about an individual's candidacy for a leadership position. Members will be notified of their candidacy status after the close of the nomination period. Members who did not complete a nomination form during the nomination period or were not selected by the Nominating Committee may run for office by petition. Members who are interested in running by petition may do so starting October 1, 2026 with a deadline of December 14, 2026.
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Kathy Lester, MLIS, MA
Adjunct Faculty, Wayne State University, School of Information Science
School Library Consultant
ALA Committee on Legislation (COL) Member
ALA Law for Librarians (L4L) Trainee
AASL Past President, 2022-2023
ALA Councilor At Large, 2021-2024
MASL Advocacy Chair, Past-President 2014
kathylester.lib@gmail.comkathyL@mimasl.orgTwitter: @LibraryL
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