Contact: Angela Thullen

PLA, Marketing Specialist 
312-280-5023

 

For Immediate Release

May 7, 2007

 

Carol Sheffer elected PLA vice-president

       

CHICAGO – Carol Sheffer, deputy director of the Queens Borough (N.Y.) Public Library has been elected vice-president/president-elect of the Public Library Association (PLA).   Sheffer will become PLA president-elect in July 2007 and will assume the PLA presidency in July 2008 for a one-year term.

 

“A strong public library is the nucleus of a strong community,” said Sheffer. “I am very excited to work with my dedicated colleagues in PLA to support and strengthen public libraries and the people who work in them.”

 

Sheffer has been a member of PLA and the American Library Association (ALA) for more than 20 years, serving on numerous PLA and ALA committees, the ALA Recruitment Assembly and the PLA Board of Directors.  In 1992, Sheffer was the recipient of the Exceptional Service Award, presented by the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA), a division of the ALA.

 

Sheffer has served internationally as a spokesperson for the profession.  In 2000, she worked in Russia as a US Department of State Professional in Residence.  She also is co-founder of the International Center for Public Librarianship at the Queens Borough Public Library.

 

Before moving to her current position of deputy director, Sheffer served as director of programs and services of the Queens Borough Public Library.  Throughout her public library career, she has worked in small, medium and urban public libraries in a variety of roles, including library development consultant, supervisor of outreach services and senior children’s librarian, among others.

 

Sheffer earned her master’s degree in library science from the University of Buffalo (N.Y.) and a bachelor’s degree in history from the State University of New York at Geneseo.

 

For more information about PLA, contact the PLA office at 800-545-2433, ext. 5PLA, or visit PLA’s Web site at www.pla.org.  PLA is a division of the American Library Association.  PLA’s core purpose is to strengthen public libraries and their contribution to the communities they serve. Its mission is to enhance the development and effectiveness of public library staff and public library services.