The American Library Association (ALA) and its divisions, including the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), sent out the 2018 ballots today, March 12th. Members will have until April 4th to complete their ballots and the election results will be announced on April 11th.
Of all ALA divisions, AASL has traditionally had the lowest participation in these annual elections. Typically only 11% of our members vote. We can do much better.
This blog post is designed to help AASL members prepare their ballots and vote for candidates who represent their values, perspectives, and interests.
AASL Positions
The AASL website has a list of candidates who are running for positions in our division. This past week, the KQ blog posted statements from each candidate and a video. The statement responded to this question: “What is the biggest/most important change that AASL could make in the next 3 years?”
There is an election archives page on the Knowledge Quest website. These are the candidates and links to their statements and videos.
Please make time to read each candidate’s statement and view her (!) one-minute video.
AASL President-Elect Candidates – Mary Keeling and Judi Moreillon
ESLS (Educators of School Librarians) Chair-Elect Candidates – Elizabeth Burns and April Dawkins
ESLS Secretary Candidates – Meghan Harper and Kym Kramer
ISS (Independent Schools Section) Representative to the Board Candidates – Alpha DeLap and Phoebe Warmack
ISS Secretary Candidates – Danielle Farinacci and Sarah Ludwig
Region 1 Director Candidates – Anita Cellucci and Sarah Hunicke
Region 3 Director Candidates – Kathy Lester and Susan Yutsey
Region 6 Director Candidates – Rachel Altobelli and Becky Calzada
Region 7 Director Candidates – Sue Heraper and Maria Petropulos
Supervisors Section Chair-Elect Candidates – Sedley Abercrombie and Susan Gauthier
ALA Council
Fourteen (!) AASL members are candidates for ALA Council. Considering ALA President Jim Neal’s advocacy for school libraries AASL members are wise to ensure school librarian representation on the Council at this point in time as ALA moves forward to advocate for school librarians and libraries. Thank you to Helen Adams who created the list below. Please remember these names when you are completing your ballot.
Thank you to all of the candidates for your activism and willingness to serve.
Best wishes to all,
#Judi4AASL
ALA Council Candidates
Sedley Abercrombie, Lead Library Media Coordinator, Davidson County Schools, Denton, North Carolina
Shannon DeSantis, School Library Media Specialist, Peoples Academy Middle Level and High School, Morrisville, Vermont
Cassandra Barnett, Program Advisor for School Libraries, Arkansas Department of Education, Little Rock
Vicki Morris Emery, Retired School Library Administrator, Fairfax County (Virginia) Public Schools, Burke, Virginia
Ann Dutton Ewbank, Associate Professor, School Library Media, Montana State University, Bozeman
Carl A. Harvey, II, Assistant Professor, School Librarianship, Longwood University, Farmville, Virginia
Laura Hicks, Media Specialist, Frederick (Maryland) High School
Jody K. Howard, Adjunct Professor and Library Consultant, Emporia State University SLIM Program, Denver, Colorado
Dennis J. LeLoup, School Librarian, Avon Intermediate School East, Avon, Indiana
Steve Matthews, Librarian (EMER), Foxcroft School, Middleburg, Virginia
Robbie Leah Nickel, School Librarian, Sage Elementary School, Spring Creek, Nevada
Toni Negro, Librarian, University of Maryland, Priddy Library, Rockville, Maryland (retired school and university librarian)
Leslie Preddy, School Librarian, Perry Township Schools, Indianapolis, Indiana
Melody Scagnelli-Townley, Library Media Specialist, Joyce Kilmer School, Mahwah, New Jersey
Image Credit: Courtesy of AASL