Contact Us

PLA Staff and Contact Information

PLA is a division of the American Library Association, located at 50 E. Huron, Chicago, IL 60611. Office hours are 8:30 AM–4:30 PM (Central Time), Monday–Friday. ALA’s toll free number is 1-800-545-2433, staff extensions are listed below. PLA’s general line is ext. 5PLA (5752), fax number is 312-280-5029, and general e-mail is pla@ala.org. Feel free to contact the office any time you have questions. If no one is available when you call, please leave a message. All staff have voice mail and will respond as quickly as possible.

Executive Director   

  • Barb Macikas
    ext. 5028
    bmacikas@ala.org

    Responsibilities include: directing activities of PLA; coordinating policy implementation and strategic planning; preparing PLA budgets; ex-officio member of PLA's Board of Directors; official contact for external organizations.

Committees, Customer Service, and Governance   

  • Julianna Kloeppel
    Program Coordinator
    ext. 5026
    jkloeppel@ala.org

    Serves as contact for members who want to learn about the organization and its programs. Responsibilities include: maintenance of committee rosters, coordination of appointment process, and support for the work of the PLA Board of Directors.

Conferences and Continuing Education   

  • Linda Bostrom
    Manager, Professional Development
    ext. 5027
    lbostrom@ala.org

    Responsibilities include: development of PLA's educational programs at ALA and PLA conferences, Spring Symposium and regional educational programs; oversight of development and implementation of the Certified Public Library Administrator Program (CPLA); and for creation of online educational programs, distance learning programs and other new educational offerings for PLA.

  • Melissa Faubel Johnson, CMP
    Meeting & Special Events Planner
    ext. 5022
    mfaubel@ala.org

    Responsible for meeting management of PLA conferences and events including the biennial PLA Conference, Spring Symposium, regional programs, and programs held at ALA Annual and Midwinter conferences. Meeting management includes: site review, hotel and supplier contracts, AV, catering, exhibits, registration, travel functions including airline, tour and shuttle bus.

Initiatives   

  • Mary Hirsh
    Project Manager
    ext. 5039
    mhirsh@ala.org

    Responsible for managing the The Edge Initiative, the first-ever set of benchmarks for public access technology in public libraries.

  • Lian Sze
    Program Coordinator
    ext. 5021
    lsze@ala.org

    Provides support for PLA grant-funded initiatives such as Edge, Turning the Page, and the Digital Learning Center, as well as for PLA continuing education and publication programs.

Marketing and Communications   

  • Amy Sargent
    Manager, Marketing & Communications
    ext. 5024
    asargent@ala.org

    Directs all PLA marketing activities including the biennial PLA Conference, directs all membership promotion and retention efforts, manages content and design of webpage and e-newsletter.

Publications   

Web   

  • Steven Hofmann
    Manager, Web Communications
    ext. 5047
    shofmann@ala.org

    Leads development of PLA web and digital media initiatives and programs. Responsible for management of PLA web properties, and implementation of social networking, member communities and web-based education.