Friends, family, and colleagues, including new division presidents, helped Roberta Stevens of the Library of Congress celebrate her inauguration as 2010–2011 president of the American Library Association. Instead of a traditional presidential speech, Stevens turned the podium over to four of her favorite authors: Marie Arana, Brad Meltzer, Sharon Draper, and Carmen Agra Deedy.
Calling the new ALA president LC's "golden treasure," Arana said librarians are the people who hold the key to a more civilized society. In the areas of critical thinking, problem solving, and information and technical literacy, "there is no institution better equipped than libraries."
Meltzer quipped that the Inquirer and the Star were the only "books" in his house when he was a child—until his grandmother took him to the library to get his library card. "Thank you for changing my life," he said.
Draper called libraries the soul of the nation. "Save our souls; save our libraries," she urged, while Deedy said, "When I enter a library, I feel as if I am entering a temple." She called the internet the greatest invention since moveable type, observing that librarians are a critical part of taming this "wild, wild West of information."
'Our Authors, Our Advocates" is the title of Stevens' new presidential initiative that will involve building advocacy for libraries through a network of supportive authors who are ready and willing to speak out. The Office for Library Advocacy and the Association for Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends, and Foundations—as well as the Public Information and Public Programs Offices and American Libraries—will be major players in the initiative, capturing author testimonials for the @ your library public awareness website and the I Love Libraries advocacy site.
