Cronk, Jamison, McCauley seek ALA presidency for 2026-2027

CHICAGO — Lindsay Cronk, Dean of Libraries, Tulane University, New Orleans; Andrea Jamison, Assistant Professor of School Librarianship, Illinois State University; and Maria McCauley, Director of Libraries, Cambridge Public Library, Cambridge, Massachusetts, are candidates for the 2026-27 presidency of the American Library Association.

Cronk currently serves as a member of Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures. She’s a member of the Core 5 Year Fundraising Team, and she served as president of Core in 2021-22. She was lead, Core Communications Working Group. She has also served on ALA Council, co-authoring ALA's Resolution to Condemn White Supremacy and Fascism as Antithetical to Library Work. Before that, she served on the Board of the Library Information Technology Association and edited its popular LITA Blog. She is the first woman to serve as Dean of Libraries at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.

She is Vice Chair of ARL's Advocacy and Public Policy Committee, 2024-2025. She also serves on the Board of the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries, Clarivate North American Advisory, and the Serials Librarian. She is the co-creator and founder of PeMento: Peer Mentoring for MidCareer Library Workers. Her past keynotes have covered a variety of topics from leadership to team building to systems migrations while her research has focused on scholarly communication.

Cronk holds an MLIS from Valdosta State University in Georgia, an EdS from Georgia Southern University in Savannah, and a BA from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia.

“I’m honored and thrilled to be nominated for ALA President—thank you for this opportunity. Libraries are a collective superpower for learning, research, and discovery. We empower individuals and strengthen communities. The American Library Association champions and advances this vital work, offering all library professionals a shared home, a united voice, a thriving community of practice, and a values-driven foundation of policy. We have deep strengths and spectacular talent, and I am the loud librarian ready to amplify and advocate it,” Cronk said. “With a proven record of building teams and coalitions—within ALA and beyond—I am prepared to guide the Association through this pivotal moment of challenges and opportunities. Libraries are indispensable—not only providing resources but also fostering curiosity and inspiring a love of knowledge. When libraries lead, communities succeed.”

Jamison’s career spans school, public, and academic libraries. She is a current member of the Association for Library Service to Children, the Black Caucus of ALA, and the Intellectual Freedom Round Table. She is also a juror for the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Round Table, former CSK Breakfast Chair, and immediate past chair of the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table.

She served as ALA Councilor at Large (2021-2019), and she was chair of the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom Working Group for Diversity in Collection Development (2017). She is the Social Justice Chair for the Institute of Humane Education, a Community of Practice Group Leader for Diverse Book Finder, and library ambassador for Lee and Low Books. She authored “Decentering Whiteness in Libraries: A Framework for Inclusive Collection Management Practices,” which is part of the Beta Phi Mu scholars series. She was also the 2022-2023 Teaching Scholar-in-Residence in the area of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for Illinois State University.

Jamison has a PhD in Information Studies from Dominican University; an MLIS, also from Dominican; a Master of Teaching from Concordia University; and a BBA from Robert Morris College.

“Libraries have a unique role in empowering people not only by providing equitable access to information but by fostering critical thinking and an understanding of our pluralistic world. The role of librarians has remained consistent: we assist all people in becoming effective and efficient seekers, users, and disseminators of information,” Jamison said. “However, today’s climate of censorship and social tension has created widespread misinformation about the work of librarians and has jeopardized the safety and wellbeing of many library workers. I am committed to supporting efforts that counter assaults on intellectual freedom, uphold the reputation of library professionals, reshape the narrative about libraries, leverage partnerships, advocate for legislative protections for library workers, and stand in unwavering support of every librarian dedicated to serving their communities.”

McCauley, who was a Spectrum Scholar, is a current member of Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures; and Public Library Association and the Association of College and Research Libraries. She is also a current member of the Rainbow Round Table, Sustainability Round Table, Intellectual Freedom Round Table, and the International Relations Round Table. She is also a member of the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association, Chinese American Librarians Association, Black Caucus of ALA, REFORMA: The National Association to Promote Library & Information, Services to Latinos and the Spanish-speaking, and the American Indian Library Association, and the Freedom to Read Foundation. She is also a member of the Massachusetts Library Association and the New England Library Association.

She has held several leadership positions, including At-Large Councilor, ALA Council, Executive Board member, and Fiscal and Audit Committee. She also was PLA president (2022-23) and a PLA board member.

McCauley holds a Doctor of Philosophy, Managerial Leadership in the Information Professions, Simmons University; an MLIS from University of Pittsburgh; a BA in Theater from Ohio Wesleyan University; Leadership Certificate Program, Northeastern University; Library Leadership for New Managers Program, Association of Research Libraries (ARL).

“It is an honor to stand for the 2026-27 ALA presidential election. ALA is a vital organization that is a lifeline for so many in the areas of professional development, advocacy, and connection. This includes me, from being a Spectrum Scholar, working in academic libraries, and serving for the past thirteen years as a public library director, former ALA Executive Board member, and Public Library Association President,” McCauley said. “I am excited to bring my executive leadership and governance experience, knowledge, and passion for libraries to the presidential role. With my inclusive leadership practices and facilitation skills, I will work across the association to strengthen ALA, inspire, guide, and connect members, and advocate for intellectual freedom, equity and inclusion, sustainability, and the public good of libraries.”

Cronk, Jamison and McCauley will have an opportunity to make a statement and answer questions from members in a virtual ALA Presidential Candidates' Forum to be held in February 2025. More information to come.

Members who are interested in running by petition for ALA President-elect, you may do so by completing a petition form with the signatures of no fewer than 200 ALA current personal members. Here are instructions for creating an e-petition by December 13, 2024. In addition to the petition itself, members must complete a Candidate Biographical Information Form. The information submitted on this form will be used for the web ballot. Once the petition process is completed, petition candidates and nominated candidates are treated exactly the same. They are not differentiated on the ballot because they are on equal footing and are all viable candidates for these positions. The petition period for the 2025 election is open now and will close on December 13, 2024.

Ballot mailing for the ALA election will begin on March 10, 2025, and will run through April 2, 2025. Individuals must be members in good standing to vote in the 2025 ALA elections. Renew your membership online or by calling 1-800-545-2433, option 1. For more information, please visit the ALA Election webpage.

About the American Library Association

American Library Association (ALA) is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more than 140 years, ALA has been the trusted voice of libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit ala.org.