Yates elected 2017-2018 AASL president

CHICAGO – Steven Yates, instructor and acting coordinator of the school library media certification program at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, has been elected as the 2017-2018 American Association of School Librarians (AASL) president. Yates will serve as president-elect during 2016-2017 under AASL President Audrey Church.

Upon learning of his election, Yates stated: “Thank you, AASL members, for trusting me to serve our organization as your president-elect. School librarians have fantastic colleagues throughout the American Library Association who share our commitment to equity for students of all ages throughout the country. Now is the time to capitalize on our momentum. Not only are AASL members creating new standards for our profession, but school librarians have been included in the Every Student Succeeds Act. Let's work together to continue communicating the impact of school librarians and quality resources of all types to our communities and especially our elected leaders.”

Yates currently serves as a member-at-large on the AASL Board of Directors and is the board-elected representative to the AASL Executive Committee. He previously served as virtual conference chair of the 2013 AASL national conference committee, chair of the 2014 national institute committee, and as a member of both the Knowledge Quest editorial board and professional development advisory committee. Yates is a member of the 2010 class of ALA Emerging Leaders and has served on both the Emerging Leaders program subcommittee and the ALA committee on diversity.

At the local level, Yates was president of the Alabama Library Association and served as moderator of its young adult services roundtable. For the Alabama School Library Association, he has served terms as both treasurer and conference host, and he is currently a member of the volunteer allocation team for the United Way of West Alabama.

Prior to his position at the University of Alabama, Yates was school librarian at Spain Park and Mountain Brook High Schools. He earned his MLIS from the University of Alabama in 2006 and an Ed.S. from the University of West Alabama in 2010.

Full AASL election results can be found on the AASL website at www.ala.org/aasl/elections.

The American Association of School Librarians www.aasl.org, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), empowers leaders to transform teaching and learning.