Deb Sica
Biography
Deb Sica, MFA, MLIS (she/lei) has been in the field of research, education, and libraries since 1993. She has been an archivist, an academic, a researcher, and, now, proudly, serves the staff and the communities of the Alameda County (CA) Library as the deputy county librarian. She has spent the last decade plus in public libraries working to transform dated, discordant practice and policy towards socially just campaigns for full inclusion. She has been politically active for over twenty-five years and continues to fight for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in libraries and in life. She has served as chair of the ALA Rainbow Round Table (RRT), RRT councilor, and is currently a member of ALA Budget Analysis and Review Committee (BARC) and the PLA liaison to the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee. She is a proud member of the Freedom to Read Foundation. Her early public librarian years were spent in Harris County, TX, and was active in creating spaces within the Texas Library Association (TLA) for LGBTQIA+ folks. She also served as regional chair for TLA’s District 8. She is part of California Coalition for Race Equity and Inclusion and Government Alliance for Race Equity.
Personal Statement
“Daily, I am reminded that empathetic conversations and shared community resources are some of the best tools we have to rebalance socio-economic inequities. Giving voice to all and room to question, understand, and explore is necessary. Democracy is at stake. I fully believe that the best mechanism we have to uphold justice and protect against apathy is to advocate for change within the context of public libraries.”