They’re the new faces greeting you at the reference desk, recommending books in the stacks, and experimenting with fresh ideas behind the scenes. These are the library world’s rising stars, the generation that will move, shape, and influence the present and future of the Association and the library profession. These are the American Library Association’s Emerging Leaders of 2016.
Initiated in 1997 as a one-year program under former ALA President Mary R. Somerville and revived in 2006 under former ALA President Leslie Burger, Emerging Leaders recognizes the best and brightest new leaders in our industry. It’s open to librarians under 35 years of age or those new to the library profession of any age with fewer than five years of experience working at a professional or paraprofessional level.
The program allows participants to get on the fast track to ALA and professional leadership, participate in project-planning groups, network, gain an inside look into ALA structure, and serve the profession in a leadership capacity early in their careers.
At the 2016 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Boston, the 50 new Emerging Leaders were divided into groups to complete a project for an ALA unit. The results will be unveiled at the 2016 ALA Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida. We joined them in Boston and asked their thoughts on the future of the library profession.
Sponsor: American Association of School Librarians
Project: Resource Guide for Underserved Student Populations
From left: Meg Finney, Stefanie Metko, Raemona Little Taylor, Peggy Griesinger, Nicole Thomas
“I see the profession becoming more and more hybrid as we move into the future. At my library we think of ourselves as instructional designers and digital content producers in addition to librarians. We are experimenting and pushing limits, and everyone is encouraged to think like an entrepreneur or a start-up employee. This flexibility is crucial to creating a space where innovation can happen and where people can gather to explore and create.” —Stefanie Metko
Sponsor: Association of College and Research Libraries
Project: Implementation of a Virtual Collaboratory and Pilot Project of the Research Agenda for the Science and Technology Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries
From left: Lauren Goode, James Adams, Xiaojie Duan, Jennifer Zhao (not pictured)
“The future will be very similar to what librarianship has always been at its heart: providing exceptional information and service to our communities. The differences will lie in the tools we use, the kinds of services we provide, and how wide our community can become. The internet is nothing new, but how we contribute to it and access information are changing all the time.”—James Adams
ALA–Allied Professional Association
Project: Wellness Website
From left: Jennifer McElroy, Amanda Avery, Dory Cochran
“The profession is certainly evolving. No matter what kind of library we work in, all librarians are now—and from now on will be—technologists. We are all working to meet changing expectations from our users, and we are all learning to exist in a time when the proliferation of available information makes our world simultaneously much smaller and much more complex.” —Jennifer McElroy
Sponsor: Association for Library Service to Children
Project: Environmental Scan and the Future of Youth Services
From left: JoAnna Schofield, Megan Bright, Alpha DeLap, Meredith Steiner, Brittany Tavernaro
“I envision the profession continuing to evolve with the needs of our communities—whether we are offering our patrons a safe space to exchange ideas and support, like the Ferguson (Mo.) Public Library, or connecting young people with a wide range of authors and illustrators, like the Free Library of Philadelphia. This flexibility will allow us to remain relevant and vital to our communities.” —JoAnna Schofield
Sponsor: Asian Pacific American Librarians Association
Project: Who is the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association? Strategically Communicating Our Organizational Identity and Value
From left: Alyssa Jocson Porter, Annah Hackett, Meredith Wickham, Katherine Donaldson
“I see an increase in embedded librarianship, both at the public and academic levels. Embedded librarians do not sit passively waiting for patrons to come to them. They are proactively working with community or campus organizations to promote library resources and learn how to serve patrons. This includes reaching out to groups that are not traditionally ‘library people’—like athletes, gamers, etc.”—Annah Hackett
Sponsor: International Relations Round Table
Project: Adding Disaster Planning to the International Relations Round Table Free Links Project
From left: Charissa Powell, Sean Buckner, Mandi Goodsett, Myriam Martinez-Banuelos, Jason Broughton
“I see librarians becoming more intertwined with and dependent upon information technology. Library staff must daily manage and collectively master an ever-increasing number of digital systems, devices, sites, tools, resources, and processes. For libraries to succeed as hubs of discovery, learning, and creativity, librarians will have to embrace and implement these advancing technologies.” —Sean Buckner
Sponsor: Map and Geospatial Information Round Table
Project: Development of an Archiving Program for the Map and Geospatial Information Round Table
From left: Chelcie Rowell, Craig Boman, Melissa Stoner, Harriet Wintermute
“I see the future of our library profession as increasingly separated from the library as a place. I see academic librarians evolving into open online course librarians and public librarians evolving into information consultants who are increasingly dispersed and embedded throughout the communities and organizations we serve.” —Craig Boman
Sponsor: Public Library Association
Project: Assessing MLIS Preparation for Emerging Public Library Leaders
From left: Katrina Ortega, Anna Mattonen, Pauline Stacchini, Carolyn Reagle
“Librarians will continue to move from behind the desk to provide information, resources, instruction, programming, and technology in the community. The 21st-century librarian toolkit might include marketing, project management, and the ability to develop partnerships. Many librarians have some of these skills and are rapidly learning on the job the additional skills they need to be successful.”—Carolyn Reagle
Sponsor: Public Library Association
Project: Public Library Association Online Professional Tools Curation and Future Forecasting
From left: Christina Golm, John Daquino, Erin Hollingsworth, Jacqueline Mayse, Natalie Bazan
“In the 21st-century knowledge-based economy, the library profession will continue to expand beyond traditional print-bound materials and keep moving toward the preservation, management, and distribution of information in all of its various formats. Helping to bridge the digital divide will become increasingly important so that our patrons can keep up with the technological demands of the workforce.”—John Daquino
Sponsor: Reference and User Services Association
Project: Library Publishing Services: A Toolkit
From left: Sabrina Wong, Catherine Damiani, Loren Klein, kYmberly Keeton, Madison Sullivan
“In the future there will be an increased need for interdisciplinary skills. Technology skills like web design and scripting, community organizing, and science and engineering skills will be valuable. We also have to make sure that future librarians reflect the communities they serve by developing stronger mentorship roles and alternative paths to professionalism.” —Loren Klein
Sponsor: Young Adult Library Services Association
Project: Social Media Marketing Calendar
From left: Kayla Marie Figard, Samantha Helmick, Dontana McPherson-Joseph, Derrick Burton, Tiffany Davis, Hattie Garrow
“Libraries will continue to provide access to information and ideas, but what I’m most excited about is the shift from consumption to creation–the notion that libraries can serve as environments for people of all ages to collaborate, create, explore, imagine, learn, and grow. Library professionals need to be seen as facilitators of this model, not gatekeepers to the books.” —Hattie Garrow
