11 Questions: Kerri Price

Meet ALA’s new Office for Accreditation director

November 5, 2024

Kerri Price is no stranger to the Association. In early September, Price returned to the American Library Association (ALA) to direct the Office for Accreditation, which promotes and advances education in library and information studies, after five years at the nonprofit Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in Chicago. During her previous tenure at ALA, Price spent 12 years working in the Office for Accreditation and the Governance Office.

She answered our 11 Questions to introduce herself to ALA members.

Coffee, tea, other?

Coffee in the morning, but sometimes a cup of chamomile lavender tea in the evening.

What’s the first website or app you check in the morning?

The New York Times’ Games app. I play Wordle, The Mini Crossword, Connections, Strands, and Letter Boxed, in that order, every morning before getting out of bed while my cat is head-butting me because he wants food (he’s fine—it takes about 10 minutes).

Best career advice you’ve ever received?

Listen and be kind.

What drew you to librarianship and ALA?

Helping people access information and a love of organizing stuff drew me to librarianship. It’s great to be back at ALA, working for an organization with a mission and values that so closely align with mine!

Most distinctive aspect of your personal office?

It doubles as my hobby room, so a highly organized selection of art supplies, including a really impressive pencil collection.

Guilty pleasure?

If I’m being honest, Bar Rescue reruns and listening to Journey.

First job?

Pizza maker at That’s Pizza and Ice Cream Parlor (RIP) in Wonder Lake, Illinois.

What do you hope to bring to ALA and members?

I’m looking forward to building strong connections with both our library and our information studies programs and our dedicated volunteers. I’m also excited to create new training opportunities for our external review panelists and to implement technology initiatives that have been in the works to streamline our daily workflows and improve efficiency.

If you had to choose any other profession, what would it be and why?

I would be a rehearsal pianist for an opera company, because I love opera, playing the piano, and accompanying singers.

Book(s) you’re reading?

I’m reading Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead.

Tool used for keeping your life organized?

I was a Trello user for a long time but recently switched to Asana. I also sort of follow the Getting Things Done system by David Allen.

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“Kerri Price is no stranger to ALA. In early September, Price returned to the Association to direct the Office for Accreditation, which promotes and advances education in library and information studies, after five years at the nonprofit Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in Chicago. During her previous tenure at ALA, Price spent 12 years working in the Office for Accreditation and the Governance Office. She answered our 11 Questions to introduce herself to ALA members.

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