“Dan Montgomery will start his role as the ALA’s new executive director on November 10. He will become the first nonlibrarian to serve in that position in the Association’s nearly 150-year history, overseeing a membership of 45,000 people and 180 staffers. Montgomery comes to ALA from the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT), where he served as president of the 103,000-member organization for the past 15 years, advocating on behalf of public education and the rights of workers. He spoke with American Libraries about his goals for the Association, his union activism, and how library spaces can build lifelong memories.”