Officially Speaking | November 2024

Where, oh, where has the time gone? It feels like it was just the summer, and now I’m sitting here in my office writing this column while rain falls against my window and the temperature starts to plummet. But that doesn’t mean I or anyone else in ALSC is ready to hibernate. In fact, our work has only really just begun!

As we look toward January and LibLearnX (LLX) in Phoenix, ALSC staff and committee members are hard at work preparing for the numerous events and meetings that will be taking place over the weekend, culminating in everyone’s favorite moment: the Youth Media Awards! This event takes months of preparation to make it come together and run like clockwork. And I have to say, I can’t wait to be there announcing the winners of so many amazing books alongside my colleagues from other divisions and affiliates. I hope you’re getting just as excited as I am!

As everything comes together and I witness the hard work of all the staff and volunteers within our division, I can’t help but feel that we just can’t thank them all enough for what they do. I recently attended my first ALSC Institute and Morris Seminar (you can read more about that in my recent ALSC Blog post), and it was evident from start to finish that everyone running the event was going far above and beyond to make it the most amazing experience possible for every single attendee. So, I want to take this moment to extend a big thank-you to everyone who made the Institute and Seminar possible, as well as for everyone involved in putting things together for LLX in just a few months.

I also want to extend another thank-you to all of the amazing committee members and chairs who are busy busy busy working their way through their various work plans and activities to ensure ALSC runs smoothly. One recent example of this incredible work is the Inspiring Future Voters booklist that was developed by the Quicklists Consulting committee along with Booklist. It’s a fabulous resource that is a part of the ALA Reader. Voter. Ready. campaign.

You hopefully know by now, but most of what happens in ALSC is volunteer driven, and in order to keep that work going, we need your help! There are lots of great ways you can get involved, like becoming a blogger, for instance. You can also serve on one of our process committees, which Claudette McLinn will be appointing starting in the spring, so be sure to submit your volunteer form to avoid missing out (member login required)! It’s also never a bad time to fill out your form for award committees, even if you don’t get appointed right away. It’s incredibly helpful to me (and next year for Claudette) to have your form available.

I also want to remind people that membership matters! Keeping your membership up-to-date ensures you don’t miss out on appointment opportunities or access to invaluable resources. Your dues also help us to ensure we have funding to pay for staff and activities throughout the year. I want to put out a bit of a challenge to you all while I have your attention: If you know someone whose membership has lapsed, please take a moment to remind them of the value of ALSC membership and encourage them to renew.

These are challenging times in many ways, with book and program challenges, volunteer fatigue, social and political unrest, and decreased financial support from institutions whose budgets have to be tightened. But I believe we will get through this together. ALSC is a safe space for many; a community in which we support one another, work toward solutions, and advocate for each other when things get tough. I want to thank each and every one of you for being an ALSC member, and for helping us get the work done each and every year. We literally could not do this work without you!

And with that, I will wrap up this Fall column. I wish you all the best over the coming months, through the holiday season, and into the New Year. I look forward to seeing many of you in Phoenix this January.

Onwards!—Dr. Robert Bittner, PhD (He/Him), ALSC President, 2024-25

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It is with great joy, #ALSCJOY, that I am serving you as ALSC Vice-President/President Elect, 2024-25. What an honor to serve! Let me tell you how - and why - I joined ALSC 25 years ago. Yes, that was long ago!

Every year, the Los Angeles School Librarians Association has a major gathering to celebrate the end of the school year with a luncheon at a fancy location. At one of these luncheons, way back when, one of my library colleagues was wearing an ALA T-shirt from the last conference that she had attended. “You should go,” she said, “it’s the best experience in the world, especially if you belong to ALSC! I get so much joy serving on the ALSC committees and being with friends across the U.S.”

I soon had the opportunity to attend ALSC events, where I met like-minded librarians and library workers from across the country. The first experience that gave me #ALSCJOY was attending the Youth Media Awards, also known as the YMAs. Everyone was cheering, clapping, and jumping for joy when the winners were announced. This was so exciting to me. I knew then that I had to get involved with ALSC. My second experience was through ALSC networking when I had a chance to meet some very knowledgeable ALSC members. My third experience was volunteering to serve on committees, a chance to meet more ALSC members who were movers and shakers in our field. I experienced feelings of joy, service, purpose, and camaraderie. And the rest is history! ALSC offered me many opportunities for enrichment and growth through committee work. Later, fellow committee members became my friends, and I would call my new friends for advice, learning from their expertise. Collaborative work boosted my confidence as I actively participated in ventures and projects that were not offered at my work site.

ALSC offers many volunteer opportunities. Every member can experience #ALSCJOY and work with other amazing ALSC members. The value of these opportunities is immeasurable. ALSC’s vision is for its members to engage communities to build healthy successful futures for all children. ALSC’s core values are collaboration, excellence, inclusiveness, innovation, integrity and respect, leadership, and responsiveness. This vision and these values enabled me to be successful at my job and beyond.

To find your #ALSCJOY, get involved by completing the online volunteer form. We need YOU. ALSC is you and, together, all of us are ALSC. ALSC's network includes more than 3,300 children's and youth librarians, children's literature experts, publishers, education and library school faculty members, and other adults dedicated to engaging communities to build healthy, successful futures for all children. ALSC is the world's largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children.

How do you start? ALSC has nearly 60 committees, task forces, and discussion groups designated under six Priority Group Areas. These groups allow ALSC member leaders to carry out the work of the Association.

Interested in volunteering? Visit the ALSC Committees webpage to learn more about committees, task forces, and discussion groups.

Already know on which committees you'd like to volunteer to serve? Please let us know by filling out the online volunteer form (member login required).

Get inspired. Let’s experience #ALSCJOY together. We have great work to accomplish and exciting times ahead. I look forward to working with President Rob Bittner; Past President Jonda McNair; the ALSC Board of Directors; ALSC Executive Director Alena Rivers; the ALSC staff; and ALSC membership. We are all dedicated to doing this important and valuable work. Our collaborative efforts are critical as we aspire to fulfill ALSC’s vision statement by engaging communities in the work of building healthy, successful futures for all children.

Again, thank you for this tremendous honor to serve. I look forward to the work ahead and to all we can accomplish with one another, with joy.—Claudette S. McLinn, Vice President/President-Elect, 2024-25

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Many thanks to the following generous contributors to Friends of ALSC. To learn how you can support ALSC, visit our website.

Gold Circle - $500 - $999

Ed Spicer

Notables Circle - $100 to $249

Maria Estrella
Paula Holmes
Vicky Smith

Friends Circle - up to $99

Gail Nordstrom

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