Lisa Varga became associate executive director of the American Library Association’s (ALA) Public Policy and Advocacy Office in Washington, D.C., on April 21.
Before joining ALA, she spent 15 years as executive director of the Virginia Library Association. Varga has been an ALA member for 20 years and has served on the ALA Policy Corps, Intellectual Freedom Committee, Intellectual Freedom Summit steering committee, ALA Leadership Institute, and Chapter Relations Committee.
She answered our 11 Questions to introduce herself to ALA members.
Coffee, tea, other?
Tea in the morning, iced tea in the afternoon—no matter the season. And tons of water.
What’s the first website or app you check in the morning?
I always check my email first.
Best career advice you’ve ever received?
Negotiate on salary.
What drew you to librarianship and ALA?
My uncle Bruce Brigell told me I should consider library school when I was in the middle of a quarter-life crisis. I started at Rutgers University, and [former ALA President] Betty Turock was my management professor. She had just ended her term as president and instilled in all of us the importance of professional association membership and participation.
Most distinctive aspect of your personal office?
My sister-in-law recently introduced me to The Art of Seth, and I found a local store that sells his work, so I’ve begun collecting various pieces. His Small Tales and Creatures of the Heart series really speak to me.
Guilty pleasure?
Legos! I recently treated myself to the Flower Arrangement set from the Botanicals series, and I’m working on the Retro Radio this weekend.
First job?
I worked at a wallpaper-and-paint store in New Jersey. I didn’t realize until much later that it was library work—we had to know what was in all the wallpaper books, so when customers came in and said, “I want French country, but I don’t want any red,” we had to know which books to show them.
What do you hope to bring to ALA and members?
Hope and energy. Hope for the work we do every day, and energy for the work that has been put on us by outside forces. We’ve had to take on a lot of extra work in recent years, beyond the “do more with less” that we have always done. I’d like to play a role in making sure that future generations in our profession can focus on the work of libraries.
If you had to choose any other profession, what would it be and why?
Grief doula. Life is really hard, and we need people who are experienced to help us through things.
Book(s) you’re reading?
Here are my categories:
- Forgot I hadn’t finished: Eight Very Bad Nights: A Collection of Hanukkah Noir, edited by Tod Goldberg
- Always rereading: The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion and Have a Beautiful, Terrible Day! by Kate Bowler
- Next up on my pile: Truth, Lies, and the Questions in Between by L. M. Elliott
- Landed in my Libby audio recently: The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave
- Had to renew on Libby because I didn’t listen in time: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Tool used for keeping your life organized?
I’m a combination person—online calendars and a trusty Moleskine. But a friend recently turned me on to a Mnemosyne 195, so as soon as my current Moleskine is full, I’m trying it out. It has perforated pages but is coil-bound, so I’m hoping those won’t bend when getting tossed around in my tote. This was the most librarian answer ever.
