Hildreth elected ALA treasurer

CHICAGO – Susan H. Hildreth, executive director of the Califa Group, Pacific Library Partnership, Peninsula Library System and administrator of the NorthNet Library System in San Mateo, California, has been elected treasurer of the American Library Association (ALA) for 2016-18.

Hildreth received 9,228 votes in the uncontested election.

Hildreth will become ALA treasurer at the close of the 2016 ALA Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, and will serve in this capacity through the 2019 Annual Conference.

“I am extremely honored to serve as the Treasurer of the American Library Association. I look forward to serving with other ALA leaders to ensure a sustainable future for our association.”

A member of ALA since 1973, Hildreth is past president of the Public Library Association (PLA) and has served as a member of the PLA Board of Directors and an at-large member of the ALA Council. She is a member of the Public Library Association and the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies. She also was active in the LAMA (now LLAMA) Buildings and Equipment Section. She is a long-time member of the California Library Association, which she served as president and treasurer. She was also active in the New Jersey Library Association in the 1970s.

Hildreth has recently concluded her four-year appointment as director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), where she oversaw grant programs and initiatives that have resulted in $857,241,000 in financial support for libraries and museums and increased the visibility of libraries in the federal government and nationally. Previous positions include Seattle City Librarian, California State Librarian, City Librarian of San Francisco and Deputy Director of the Sacramento Public Library where she was responsible for multi-million dollar budgets.

In fall 2016, Susan will begin a two-year appointment as the inaugural Gates-funded Professor of Practice under the University of Washington Information School’s (iSchool) “Future of Libraries” Initiative, where she will teach, engage with curriculum innovation and complete a research project.

In March 2015, the Aspen Institute appointed Hildreth a Communication and Society Program Fellow. She provides counsel on issues related to public libraries and represents the Institute’s Dialogue on Public Libraries as a speaker at outside events. She is a member of the CENIC (Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California) Board representing public libraries. She is also a member of the national Reach Out and Read Board, the Library of Congress American Folklife Center and Literacy Awards Boards, the Syracuse University Library Advisory Board and the San Jose State University School of Information International Advisory Council. She was a member of the Freedom to Read Foundation Board from 2009-2011.

In 2012, she received the Distinguished Public Service Award from the College of Computing and Information Science at the University at Albany. In 2014, she was recognized as a California Emerging Technology Fund Champion and as the Rural and Small Library Champion by the Association of Rural and Small Libraries.

Hildreth holds a BA from Syracuse University, an MLS from the State University of New York (SUNY) Albany and an MBA from Rutgers University.

For more election results, including those for ALA president, council, divisions, and round tables, watch for updates on the ALA website.