Emerging Leaders 2025 Project Summaries
Team: A
Project Title: Developing Responsible Learners Engaging in an Interconnected World
Host Unit: American Association of School Librarians (AASL)
Team Members:
Dr. Sara Beg, elementary school librarian, Ferguson-Florissant School District, MO
Dr. Rebecca Caufman, secondary school librarian, Radford City Public Schools, VA
Kylle Kolk, teacher librarian, Missisquoi Valley Union Middle & High School, VT
Dawn Murray, library media specialist, Parkway South High School, MO
Julie Ryan, library media specialist, Hickman High School, MO
Member Guide: Anita Cellucci, high school librarian, department chair, K-12 Libraries, Westborough Public Schools, MA
Staff Liaison: Stephanie Book, Manager, Marketing & Non-serial Publications, AASL
Project Description:
This team of 2025 ALA Emerging Leaders was tasked with developing materials that support professional development and instruction around the skills inherent in the National School Library Standards (2018) Shared Foundation of Engage—to “demonstrate safe, legal, and ethical creating and sharing of knowledge products independently while engaging in a community of practice and an interconnected world ” (American Association of School Librarians 2018, 113).
Tools:
Final Project Page:
The completed project materials live on the AASL Standards web portal.
Team: B
Project Title: Advocating for Advocacy: Sharing Advocacy Best Practices
Host Units: Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) & Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)
Team Members:
Sarah Bailey, Library Media Specialist, Pershing Elementary School, University City, Missouri
Jessica Grider, Library Media Specialist, Park Hill High School, Kansas City, Missouri
Kirbie Sondreal, Assistant Children's Services Director, Grand Forks Public Library, Grand Forks, North Dakota
Samantha Streeter, Research Librarian, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Member Guide: Sandra Farag, Head, Youth Services, Kalamazoo Public Library, MI
Staff Liaison: Sarah Polen, Deputy Executive Director, ALSC
Project Description:
The Advocating for Advocacy: Sharing Advocacy Best Practices project, convened by the Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC) and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), aims to strengthen advocacy efforts for youth and children’s library services. Recognizing the increasing challenges libraries are facing in our nation, including book bans, government interference, and funding cuts, this initiative seeks to assess and improve how advocacy resources are presented by these organizations and used by librarians and other stakeholders. The primary objectives are to evaluate existing advocacy tools, recommend improvements or new resources, and offer strategies to better communicate these efforts to members. With input from Emerging Leaders, the project emphasizes bringing fresh perspectives to enhance the accessibility, relevance, and impact of advocacy work. The final deliverable will be an internal report with actionable recommendations to help ALSC and YALSA reimagine their advocacy strategies and guide future resource development and organizational priorities.
Team: C
Project Title: APALA Past Leaders Memory Project
Host Unit: Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA)
Team Members:
Alexus Hunt, Children's Librarian, Anaheim Public Library, CA
Sara Beth Coffman, Lead Librarian, Information Literacy and Library Instruction, Chattanooga State Community College Kolwyck Library & Information Commons
Magaly Salas, Student Success Librarian, Subject Liaison for Latin American Studies, Gleeson Library, Geschke Center, University of San Francisco, CA
Keiko Satomi, Adult Services Librarian, Cloquet Public Library, MN
Hanna Tanna, Reader Services and Instruction Librarian, Victoria University, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Member Guide: Anna Coats, Assistant Director of Public Services, Newark Public Library
Staff Liaison: Kevin Strowder, Director, Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services (ODLOS)
Project Description:
The Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) is approaching its 45th Anniversary. This year’s ALA Emerging Leaders team was tasked with creating a Memory Project that captures our legacy leaders’ stories over APALA’s 45-year history. This Emerging Leaders Memory Project will be the start of a new initiative within APALA to capture the amazing work of Past Presidents over the years. We want to highlight and preserve the stories of our legacy members and ancestors to educate and inspire our current and future members. The Emerging Leader group will conduct interviews with past APALA leaders and create a 5-10 minute video or presentation that will be shown at APALA’s 45th Anniversary at 2025 ALA Annual Philadelphia Conference as well as uploaded to APALA's YouTube channel.
Team: D
Project Title: The Meaning of the U.S. Semiquincentennial for Black Americans
Host Unit: Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA)
Team Members:
Lindsey Baker, Humanities Librarian for Black Studies & English, University of Rochester, NY
Arthur Harper, Online Learning and STEM Librarian, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA
Shabrina McPherson, Student, University of North Carolina SLIS Greensboro
Lana Sweeting, Librarian, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
Aaron Wilson, Serials/Government Information Cataloging Librarian, University of Maryland, College Park
Member Guides: Deborah Robinson, Assistant Director for International Programs, Program for Research on Black Americans and Wanda Brown, Director of Library Services,Winston-Salem State University, C. G. O'Kelly Library
Staff Liaison: Kevin Strowder, Director, Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services (ODLOS)
Project Description:
The team was tasked with creating a Toolkit and Infographic on The Meaning of the U.S. Semiquincentennial for Black Americans (the 250 Years Project for short) to assist librarians and others in developing programming for the Semiquincentennial, specifically exploring the agency of Black Americans during the Founding Era. They were also asked to create an Evaluation Rubric to gather feedback from the sites on the usefulness of the Toolkit.
Team: E
Project Title: Financial Impact of Key Volunteer Roles
Host Unit: Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures
Team Members:
LaShonda Campbell, Collections Development Librarian, University of Arkansas at Monticello
Esther Jones, Youth Services Librarian,Hennepin County Library, MN
Nicole Kulp, Serials and Electronic Resources Librarian, Salisbury University, MD
Savannah Lake, Digital Scholarship Librarian, University of North Carolina - Charlotte
Kailyn Slater, Creative Technology Specialist, Oak Park Public Library, Oak Park, IL.
Member Guides: Wendy Tressler, Planning & Strategy Officer, Columbus Metropolitan Library, and Core Past-President
Staff Liaison: Julie Reese, Executive Director, Core
Project Description:
The team was tasked with studying and creating models that show the financial investment Core members are making by volunteering in select positions such as Core President, Core Board Member, ALA Councilor, Section Leader, Committee Chair, and Committee Member. Understanding volunteer financial investment will support the case for scholarships/grants by illustrating the burden and commitment of volunteers. A clear funding model will help identify specific financial needs for each role, strengthening the ask to potential donors.
Team: F
Project Title: Surveying Intellectual Freedom, Privacy, and Right-to-Read Education in ALA-Accredited Programs
Host Unit: Intellectual Freedom Roundtable (IFRT) & Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF)
Team Members:
Tristan Draper, Student Success & Engagement Librarian, Beloit College, WI
Victoria Freeny, Library Specialist, Bosler Memorial Library, PA
CJ Garcia, Health Sciences Librarian, Creighton University
Claire Kelley, Library Specialist Sub., Boulder Public Library District, Colorado
Ameriki Somers, School Library Media Coordinator, Winston Salem Forsyth County Schools, NC
Member Guide: Cynthia Dudenhoffer, Associate Teaching Professor & Program Coordinator,University of Missouri SISLT
Staff Liaison: Sarah Lamdan, Deputy Director, OIF and Deborah Caldwell-Stone, Director, OIF
Project Description:
The Intellectual Freedom Round Table (IFRT) and Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF) of the American Library Association (ALA) tasked Team F of the 2025 class of Emerging Leaders with evaluating the current state of intellectual freedom education across ALA and American Association of School Librarians (AASL)-accredited library science programs to help guide future policy and practice for the Office of Intellectual Freedom.
Team: G
Project Title: Connecting Globally: Boosting IRRT Visibility and Engagement
Host Unit: International Relations Round Table (IRRT)
Team Members:
Tiara Allen - Marketing and Outreach Coordinator at the Pflugerville (TX) Public Library
Erin Calhoun - Electronic Resources Librarian at the University of Toronto Libraries
Aliyanda Harris Cobbinah - M.S. in Library & Information Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Angel Tang - Science and Engineering Librarian at University of Wisconsin-Madison
Member Guides: Carol Brey, Director, Quality of Life Department, City of Las Cruces, NM
Staff Liaison: Delin Guerra, Program Officer, International Relations Office (IRO)
Project Description:
The team was tasked with developing a comprehensive marketing plan for the International Relations Round Table (IRRT) to enhance awareness and engagement among its members, focusing on promoting library issues and international librarianship. We will spotlight underutilized resources like the International Leads newsletter, the Visitor Center, the International Librarians Networking Program, and also increase social media content, aligning with the IRRT’s mission to coordinate international activities and support ALA’s global objectives.
Team: H
Project Title: Leveraging Social Media to Connect to Members
Host Unit: New Members Round Table (NMRT)
Team Members:
Ryne Faber, Branch Manager - Cheat Area Public Library, Morgantown Public Library System, WV
Bethie Seay, Assistant Technical Services Librarian, University of Oklahoma-Tulsa
Krystal Smith, Reference Department Manager, Midtown Carnegie Branch Library, Springfield-Greene County Library District, MO
Emily Thirion, Community Engagement Librarian, Warren-Trumbull County Public Library, OH
Member Guide: Cara Calabrese, Acquisitions & Access Librarian, Miami University
Staff Liaison: Kimberly Redd, Program Manager, Certification & Talent Development, HRDR
Project Description:
The 2024 NMRT Emerging Leaders group was tasked with 1) researching social media platforms to make a recommendation for where NMRT should focus efforts to engage with members, 2) creating templates or guides for social media content series to aid the Outreach Director and associated Committees in connecting to membership, and 3) Creating a post or document with the recommendations for the NMRT Board to access and incorporate into future practices.
Team: I
Project Title: Professional Development Opportunities for Public Library Leadership
Host Unit: Public Library Association (PLA)
Team Members:
Robin Ballard, Senior Branch Manager, Whitehaven Library, MPL, Memphis, TN
MC Brickell, Chicago, IL
Natalie Castillo, Senior Adult Librarian, Muhlenberg Library, NYPL, New York City, NY
Kacy Earnest Spears, Reference Librarian, Springdale Public Library, Springdale, AR
Rebecca Ison, Deputy Director, Access Services, Lake County Public Library, Leadville, CO
Member Guide: Denise Lyons, Commissioner/State Librarian, Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort, KY
Staff Liaison: Mary Hirsh, Deputy Director, PLA
Project Description:
PLA delivers a varied program of professional development to help public library workers grow throughout their careers. To understand the needs of the field and PLA’s unique value proposition, this EL team was tasked with researching and documenting leadership-focused professional development opportunities for public libraries across state associations, regional networks, and system cooperatives.
Team: J
Project Title: Get the most from your RUSA membership! Email Communication Plan
Host Unit: Reference & User Services Association (RUSA)
Team Members:
Kate Aultman, Head of Washington Memorial Library, Middle Georgia Regional Library, GA
Margaret Breen, Adult Services Librarian, Hennepin County Library, MN
Maggie George, School Librarian, Metro Nashville Public Schools, TN
Matthew Goldberg, Access and User Services Librarian, Assistant Professor, Ekstrom Library, University of Louisville, KY
Member Guides: Paul Chasen, State Library Resource Center (SLRC) Training and Reference Services Coordinator, Enoch Pratt Free Library and Dawn Mick, Access Services Department Head, Iowa State University
Staff Liaison: Ninah Moore, Program Officer-Continuing Education, RUSA
Project Description:
The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) is a network within the American Library Association (ALA) meant to educate, empower, and inspire its members to advance the evolution of the profession and better serve users in a continually changing information society. RUSA Leadership, through comprehensive surveys of both past and present members, uncovered that members strongly affiliate with specific sections rather than the larger organization. The RUSA Member Engagement Committee wants to encourage members without a section affiliation to fully utilize their membership by joining one or more sections.
This EL team was tasked with:
- Creating a messaging infrastructure for sections within ALA’s email marketing platform to personalize messaging; messages must be sustainable and reusable by future committee members to ensure ongoing engagement,
- Creating a plan for contacting and communicating with RUSA section chairs to get section information,
- Determining best timing for sending each section’s message and automating program, and
- Devising a system for tracking response and retention rates.
