McGowan elected ALSC 2019-2020 president

For Immediate Release
Mon, 04/16/2018

Contact:

Laura Schulte-Cooper

Program Officer, Communications

ALSC

lschulte@ala.org

CHICAGO — Cecilia P. McGowan, Children's Services Coordinator, King County Library System, Issaquah, Washington, has been elected vice president/president-elect of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).

“I am humbled by the faith and support the ALSC membership has placed in me, and excited to represent them and the children and families they serve,” McGowan said. “I’m looking forward to digging in and discovering how the ALSC leadership can support them and the work they do, as the service we provide is life altering and affirming and supports my belief that children deserve to hear, see and read stories about themselves, their lives and their world.”

McGowan earned her MLS from the University of Washington Library School in 1984. Prior to serving as Children's Services Coordinator, McGowan held positions as Children’s Section Supervisor (2001-2008) and Children’s Librarian (2000-2001) at King County Library System. From 1996-2000, she was Youth Services Coordinator at Spokane (Washington) Public Library.

McGowan has been an ALSC member for 29 years, and an ALA member for 30 years. She is also a member of the Public Library Association; Young Adult Library Services Association; Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table; and Social Responsibilities Round Table. McGowan served on the ALSC Board of Directors (2009-2012), was a Priority Group Consultant for Group III (2014-2016) and has worked on many committees, including Children and Libraries Editorial Advisory and Membership. Most recently, McGowan chaired the 2018 Newbery Committee. She also served as a 2017-2018 ALSC Mentor.

In addition to her work within ALSC/ALA, McGowan has also been involved with the Washington Library Association and Washington Library Media Association. At King County Library System, she developed and coordinated the creation of “Tell Me a Story,” a story time companion with hundreds of filmed rhymes, songs and early learning resources. The website, at https://kcls.org/content, receives hundreds of thousands of visits each year from around the world. McGowan also coordinated and expanded the library’s free meal program to 14 sites in 2017.

Three members were elected to serve on the ALSC Board of Directors: Elisa Gall, Deerfield (Illinois) Public Library, director-at-large; Africa Hands, Louisville, Kentucky, director-at-large; and Sujei Lugo, Boston Public Library, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, director-at-large.

Julie Dietzel-Glair, Baltimore, was elected to the position of ALSC division councilor on the ALSC Board of Directors

The newly elected vice president, division councilor and board members will be seated to the ALSC Board of Directors in June 2018, at the close of the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans.

Individuals elected to serve on the 2020 Caldecott, Newbery, Sibert and Wilder Committees are:

2020 Caldecott: Joel Bangilan, Harris County Public Library, Houston; Jean Darnell, Fort Bend ISD, Sugar Land, Texas; Christina Dorr, Hilliard City (Ohio) School District; Pamela Greene, Inglewood Public Library, Los Angeles; Linda Klein, Anchorage (Alaska) Public Library; Erica Marks, Cleveland Public Library; Eboni Njoku, D.C. Public Library, Washington, D.C.; and Mitch Self, McWhirter Elementary, Seabrook, Texas.

2020 Newbery: K.C. Boyd, East St. Louis School, District 189, Swansea, Illinois; Julia Casas-Rose, Santa Monica Public Library, Playa Del Rey, California; Alpha Delap, St. Thomas School, Medina, Washington; Jenna Friebel, Oak Park (Illinois) Public Library; Christopher Lassen, BookOps, Long Island, New York; Eileen Makoff, PS 90 Magnet School for Environmental Studies and Community Wellness, New York; Soraya Silverman-Montano, Las Vegas-Clark County (Nevada) Library District, Spring Valley; and Sandy Wee, San Mateo (California) County Libraries.

2020 Sibert: Armin Arethna, Berkeley (California) Public Library; Eric Carpenter, Toomer Elementary School, Atlanta; Christy Estrovitz, San Francisco Public Library; Christi Showman Farrar, Massachusetts Library System, Marlborough, Massachusetts; and Ellen Pozzi, William Paterson University, Wayne, New Jersey.

2020 Wilder*: Lucia Acosta, Princeton, New Jersey; Louise C. Lareau, The New York Public Library; and Jessica Hilbun Schwartz, Louisville (Colorado) Public Library.

*An examination is currently underway by ALSC leadership regarding the legacy of the namesake of this award. While the terms, criteria, intent, and spirit will remain the same, this award may have a new name in 2020.

Nina Lindsay appointed the following award committee chairs: Julie Roach, Cambridge (Massachusetts) Public Library, 2020 Caldecott Award Committee chair; Krishna Grady, The Lovett School, Atlanta, 2020 Newbery Award Committee chair; Sally Miculek, Georgetown (Texas) Public Library, 2020 Sibert Award Committee chair; and Sylvia Vardell, Texas Woman’s University, Denton, Texas, 2020 Wilder* Award Committee chair. Jamie Naidoo, current ALSC vice president/president-elect, will appoint the remaining members of these committees, as well as members of ALSC’s other prestigious award committees this fall.

ALSC, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. With a network of more than 4,000 children’s and youth librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty, ALSC is committed to creating a better future for children through libraries. To learn more about ALSC, visit ALSC’s website.