Rachel Hendrick named Senior Director, ALA Publishing & Media

CHICAGO — The American Library Association (ALA) has named Rachel Hendrick senior director of ALA Publishing & Media, a leadership role that will guide the association’s publishing strategy and help advance an integrated, future-focused model for serving the library profession.

In this role, Hendrick will provide strategic direction for ALA’s Publishing & Media unit and lead the transformation to a more centralized publishing model designed to strengthen ALA’s position as a trusted source of professional content for libraries and library workers. 

Hendrick brings deep experience in publishing operations, editorial leadership, and library-centered product development to the role. She joined ALA in 2014 as operations manager at Choice, a publishing unit of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), and was promoted to director of operations in 2016. In 2022, she was named interim editor and publisher of Choice before assuming the permanent editor and publisher role.

Before joining ALA, Hendrick built her career in publishing at LIFE magazine as a photo researcher and editorial production manager, later holding positions with nationally and internationally recognized organizations including Reader’s Digest, Condé Nast, and Sotheby’s. At Choice, she helped reshape operations and content to meet the evolving needs of twenty-first-century librarianship. Her leadership included serving as metadata lead on the redesign of Choice Reviews, guiding the relaunch of Choice360.org as a hub for open access content, and supporting the launch of the Toward Inclusive Excellence and LibTech Insights blogs. As editor and publisher of Choice, she advanced the successful integration of Choice operations into ALA shared services, a change that resolved the publication’s longstanding budget challenges and positioned it for sustainable growth.

As senior director, Hendrick will lead operational alignment, financial management, and product development across ALA Publishing & Media. Her responsibilities include strengthening digital infrastructure, supporting cross-divisional collaboration, and ensuring ALA’s publishing products continue to evolve in step with industry trends and audience needs.

Hendrick holds a master’s degree in library and information science from Long Island University, with a concentration in rare books and special collections, and a master’s degree in history from the University of Connecticut. She earned her bachelor of fine arts degree from Pratt Institute, where she studied art history.

About the American Library Association 
The 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 150 years, the ALA has been the trusted voice for academic, public, school, government, and special libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit www.ala.org