ALSC President's Page

Dearest ALSC Colleagues,

It is an honour to be serving in this role for the 2024-25 term. I look forward to working with you all over the next year, to steer ALSC through all of the opportunities and challenges before us. With your help, support, and input, I know that the division and all of the work that we do will continue to build up, encourage, and inspire everyone that we serve and collaborate with.

One of the things that I strongly believe is that all organizations need a strong foundation on which to build and grow. ALSC is a respected and admired division of ALA, and we do good work that reaches far beyond our immediate membership. But something that I often notice with my work in charities/non-profits is that there is an emphasis on dissemination and creation and not a lot on foundational elements, such as policy and procedure. While the latter might seem like something dull or dry to some, I believe it is necessary to have strong policies in place to guide and inform future leadership in an organization.

Over the coming years, while so many volunteers and staff build out new programming and work to ensure that we meet the needs of our members, I will be working to build out policies and documentation that will ensure institutional knowledge is passed down with clarity and immediacy, so that future presidents and councillors will readily have the information they need to make informed decisions that will benefit ALSC for years to come.

Together, I believe we will keep ALSC a leader in the world of children’s library services, and I know that we will continue to meet the opportunities and challenges before us, in a good way. I look forward to continuing the good work together, and I thank you for your dedication and guidance.

Onward!

Rob Bittner (he/him)
ALSC President, 2024-25