Pinder is PLA president-elect

Contact: Brendan Dowling


312-280-5021

ALA News Release


For Immediate Release


August 2001

Pinder is PLA president-elect

Jo Ann Pinder, director of Gwinnett County (Ga.) Public Library, has been elected vice-president/president-elect of the Public Library Association (PLA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). She assumed office at the end of the 2001 ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco.

Pinder brings over 25 years of experience in librarianship to her position as PLA president-elect. Besides her work at the Gwinnett County Public Library, she has served as associate administrator of the Anne Arundel County (Md.) Public Library, and worked at the Cooperating Libraries of Central Maryland.

When asked for plans for her presidency, Pinder remarked, "PLA's strength is its ability to move when opportunities arise and in creating opportunities when none are apparent. I hope to continue that success by building on the work of the association, while contributing to the new foundations of the future."

Active in ALA since 1980, Pinder has served on numerous PLA committees and has been active in several other ALA divisions. During this time, she also has been involved with several other professional groups, serving as president of the Maryland Library Association, League of Women Voters of Gwinnett County and the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville, Ga.

Pinder earned her master's degree in library science from the University of Pittsburgh and her bachelor's degree from Pennsylvania State University.

In other election news, Norman Maas of the Public Libraries of Saginaw (Mich.) and Jean Tabor of the Canton (Mich.) Public Library were elected chairs of the Issues and Concerns Cluster. Caryn Katz of the Brooklyn (N.Y.) Public Library and Jerry Thrasher of the Cumberland County (N.C.) Public Library and Information Center were elected chairs of the Library Development Cluster. Marlene Kuhl of the Catonsville (Mo.) Public Library and Kent Oliver of the Johnson County (Kan.) Library were elected chairs of the Library Services Cluster.

PLA would like to thank all the candidates for running for office and hope that the contestants will consider pursuing candidacy again in the future.

For more information, contact the PLA office, 50 East Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. Telephone: 800-545-2433, ext. 5PLA.