Maureen Sullivan

Representing ALA

June 1, 2013

It has been a privilege this year to serve as your president. The experience exceeded my expectations in so many ways. I especially enjoyed representing ALA in the larger world. One of the special joys was working closely with Immediate Past President Molly Raphael and President-Elect Barbara Stripling to ensure continuity across our terms to … Continue reading Representing ALA


Maureen Sullivan

Leadership in a Digital Age

April 9, 2013

The increasingly digital context brings challenges and opportunities for librarians, library staff, archivists, and museum professionals. New roles and the competencies required to perform them are evolving. One overriding role for all of us is that of the leader. The complexity of the changes we experience leads to many unfamiliar situations in which deep learning … Continue reading Leadership in a Digital Age


Maureen Sullivan

Community Building

March 13, 2013

All around us, libraries of all types are discovering that as they look outward, they can make a dramatic difference in their communities. Long recognized as trusted educational and cultural institutions, libraries that more actively engage with their communities discover innovative services, increase their relevance, and build deeper community support. Last September, ALA announced the … Continue reading Community Building


Maureen Sullivan

What You Can Do about Ebooks and Libraries

January 14, 2013

I wanted to share ideas about what you can do to help solve the problem of publishers who will not sell ebooks to libraries. Stay informed. The ALA Transforming Libraries website and the American Libraries E-Content blog provide breaking news, as well as information about various studies, and reports. These  include recent ebook research, information … Continue reading What You Can Do about Ebooks and Libraries


Maureen Sullivan

We Are ALA

October 24, 2012

I recently learned that another national library association has adopted the slogan “I am (my national library association)” as a means to engage its members. My immediate reaction was to think of ALA and how, if we were to follow suit, I would want our slogan to be “We are ALA.” We, the members of … Continue reading We Are ALA


Maureen Sullivan

The Year Ahead

September 4, 2012

I look forward to this year in which I have the privilege of serving as ALA president. To prepare for this important role I acted on the very good advice of a number of our past presidents and took advantage of every opportunity in my president-elect term to lay a strong foundation for what I … Continue reading The Year Ahead


Maureen Sullivan

Rethinking ALA

July 5, 2012

A year ago, then–ALA President Molly Raphael called for “all of us to work together and build a better future for all library communities.” As president-elect I took these words to heart and made the commitment to continue the work of Molly’s presidency during my term. Our strategic plan, ALA 2015 (PDF file), is an … Continue reading Rethinking ALA



Hot Issues Drive ALA Presidential Priorities

March 30, 2012

The focus on electronic publishing and access through libraries to digital editions (ebooks) has been intense, particularly in recent months. The policies and practices of the “Big Six” publishers—Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin, Random House, and Simon & Schuster—in relation to access to ebooks through libraries (or lack thereof), have elicited strong responses from across the library … Continue reading Hot Issues Drive ALA Presidential Priorities


No Longer Business as Usual

January 10, 2012

My first American Library Association Midwinter Meeting was in 1976. After stimulating learning experiences at two Annual Conferences, I really wanted to get involved. Colleagues advised me that Midwinter provided the best venue to do that with its focus on ALA business meetings. ALA’s open meeting policy allowed me to observe meetings related to my … Continue reading No Longer Business as Usual


Chapters, Affiliates Display Their Strength

December 14, 2011

ALA provides a strong, unified voice for our libraries. Much of the Association’s strength comes not just from our divisions, round tables, and other ALA units, but also from our chapters and affiliates. Each year, many chapters and affiliates invite the ALA president to participate in their conferences, providing a wonderful opportunity for both ALA’s … Continue reading Chapters, Affiliates Display Their Strength


The Big Easy Revisited

September 27, 2011

Returning to New Orleans for the 2011 American Library Association Annual Conference this year was both rewarding and emotional for many of us. Five years earlier, we traveled to Louisiana less than a year after the devastating hurricanes and massive flooding from failure of the levies. At that time, we were welcomed with much more … Continue reading The Big Easy Revisited