Cara Calabrese Named Core 2027-2028 President

CHICAGO — The Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures division of ALA has announced the results of its 2026 election. Members elected Cara Calabrese, Head, Acquisitions at Indiana University – Bloomington, to the office of 2027–2028 Core president. Calabrese will serve a three-year term beginning this June, including one-year stints as president-elect (2026–2027), president (2027–2028), and immediate past-president (2028–2029).

“I am so excited and honored to have been elected Core President-Elect,” Calabrese said upon learning the election results. “Thank you to all who engaged with the ALA elections and support the work Core and ALA does.  I am looking forward to supporting Core's future and continuing to make Core the best it can be!”

Calabrese has worked as a librarian in Technical Services for 11 years in four different states. She currently serves as the head of acquisitions at Indiana University – Bloomington, Herman B. Wells Library.  The library is home to world's largest Folklore collections, extensive international studies, and an incredibly talented and knowledgeable staff.

Calabrese is currently serving a three-year term as Director-at-Large, so her appointment leaves a vacancy in the Core Director at Large role. Per the Core Bylaws, the Core President shall appoint the Director at Large vacancy with board approval.

The following candidate was also elected to the Core Board of Directors:

Director-at-Large 

• Sammie L. Johnson II 

He will serve a three-year term beginning in July 2026.

Core thanks all the candidates who stood for election, as well as all the members who voted. Their efforts to impact and enhance Core are deeply valuable to the future of the organization and for libraries nationwide.

Special thanks to the 2026 Nominating Committee, chaired by Wendy Tressler, Core Past President (2023–2024), for its outstanding work.

About Core

Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures is the national association that advances the profession of librarians and information providers in central roles of leadership and management, collections and technical services, and technology. Founded on September 1, 2020, Core’s mission is to cultivate and amplify the collective expertise of library workers in core functions through community building, advocacy and learning. Core is a division of the American Library Association. For more information about Core, contact the Core office at 1 (800) 545-2433, ext. 5038 , or core@ala.org. Follow us on our Blog, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook.