YALSA announces Kayla Marie Figard as its 2016 Emerging Leader

CHICAGO – The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), announced Kayla Marie Figard as its 2016 Emerging Leader. Figard will receive funding to attend the American Library Association’s 2016 Midwinter Meeting in Boston and 2016 Annual Conference in Orlando.

Figard is a teen services community program specialist at the Belmont (California) Library. In addition to being a YALSA member, Figard is also is a member of the Association for Library Service to Children, the Association of Children's Librarians of Northern California, the Bay Area Young Adult Librarians, the California Library Association and the Public Library Association.

“It was after midnight when I got the email about being selected as YALSA's 2016 Emerging Leader and I literally started jumping up and down on my bed and squealing at the top of my lungs, much to the dismay of my boyfriend and dog who were sleeping soundly,” said Figard. “My excitement has only increased since then. I am happy, excited, honored and anxious to start a project with my fellow Emerging Leaders! I am going to work incredibly hard to make YALSA and ALA proud!”

YALSA’s participation in the Emerging Leaders program is funded through the Friends of YALSA (FOY). Since 2005, FOY has funded more than $100,000 in member awards, grants, stipends and scholarships.

The Emerging Leaders program is designed to enable library staff and information workers to participate in project planning workgroups; network with peers; gain an inside look into ALA structure and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity early in their careers.

Friends of YALSA was created in 2005 to ensure excellence in the Association's traditional programs and services to library workers serving teens and to support growth in new directions as our profession meets the exciting challenges of the 21st century. Learn more or donate at http://www.ala.org/yalsa/givetoyalsa/foy.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has worked to build the capacity of libraries and library staff to engage, serve and empower teens. For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to www.ala.org/yalsa, or contact the YALSA office by phone, (800) 545-2433, ext. 4390, or e-mail: yalsa@ala.org.