Pat R. Scales elected ALSC vice-president

Contact: Laura Schulte-Cooper

ALSC

Program Officer

312-280-2165

For Immediate Release

May 21, 2007

Pat R. Scales elected ALSC vice-president

CHICAGO – Pat R. Scales, retired school librarian and independent consultant, Greenville, S.C., has been elected vice-president/president-elect of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). She assumes office officially at the end of the 2007 ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.

Scales plans to focus her presidential efforts on member recruitment; professional development; expansion of partnerships with government and educational organizations; and development of a robust voice within ALA governance.

“Becoming involved with ALSC and ALA early in my career has been the greatest factor in my growth as a professional. My goal as president of ALSC is to guide young professionals toward making the same commitment –for themselves and the children they serve,” said Scales.

Scales currently serves on the ALSC Board and chaired the 2005 Arbuthnot Lecture Committee, 2003 Caldecott Award Selection Committee, 2001 Wilder Award Selection Committee, and 1992 Newbery Award Selection Committee. She is a member of numerous professional organizations including the Freedom to Read Foundation, South Carolina Library Association (SCLA), and South Carolina Association of School Librarians, and currently serves on the advisory board of Book Links magazine.

Scales received an SCLA/SIRS Intellectual Freedom Award in 2001 and was named one of the Movers & Shakers: People Shaping the Future of Libraries by Library Journal in 2000, among other honors.

Her writing credits include: “Teaching Banned Books: 12 Guides for Young Readers” (ALA, 2001); regular contributions in Book Links, 1991-present; bimonthly column “Scales on Censorship,” School Library Journal, 2006-present; and, “Spotlighting Readers & Writers,” School Library Journal, 1976.

Scales earned her master’s degree in library science from George Peabody College for Teachers, Vanderbilt University, and has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from University of Montevallo, Montevallo, Ala.

For more information about the 2007 ALSC election, contact ALSC at 312-280-2163 or visit www.ala.org/alsc.