Ashley Mitchell Named a 2024 Core Emerging Leader

CHICAGO—Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures is pleased to announce that Ashley Mitchell has been selected as a Core Emerging Leader (EL). Mitchell serves as Adult Services Librarian at Camden County Library System in Voorhees, NJ. She has over 20 years of library experience in various departments. She recently chaired the New Jersey Library Association’s Equity & Mentorship Task Force, completed their Emerging Leaders program, and led her library’s Diversity & Inclusion Team. She has an undergraduate degree in psychology from Morgan State University and an MLIS from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Mitchell says, “I am grateful to have sponsorship from Core because this division supports leadership and management, which aligns with my career aspirations of library leadership. I want to become a leader to evoke much-needed changes in the Library and Information Science field. I also want to show an example of empathetic leadership that values the needs of staff and patrons alike.”

One of 50 library workers chosen from across the U.S. and Canada, Mitchell will participate in project planning work groups, network with peers, gain an inside look into the ALA structure, and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity. Following a virtual, day-long kickoff session during the ALA LibLearnX: The Library Learning Experience (LibLearnX), the program will continue in an online learning and networking environment for six months, culminating in a presentation of the groups' work at the 2024 ALA Annual Conference in San Diego, CA this June. Core is sponsoring three Emerging Leaders for 2024. Learn more about the ALA Emerging Leaders Program.

About Core

Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures is the national association that advances the profession of librarians and information providers in central roles of leadership and management, collections and technical services, and technology. Our mission is to cultivate and amplify the collective expertise of library workers in core functions through community building, advocacy and learning. Core is a division of the American Library Association. Follow us on our Blog, Instagram or LinkedIn.