NEWS For Immediate Release March 5, 2013

Contact: JoAnne Kempf

CHICAGO — The American Library Association is gearing up for its upcoming election.

Polls will open at 9 a.m. Central time on March 19, 2013 for the American Library Association’s annual election.

For the fifth year in a row, the American Library Association is holding its election exclusively online.  Last week, members received notification by email confirming their eligibility to vote.  To be eligible to vote, individuals must be members in good standing as of January 31, 2013.

When the polls open, the ALA will notify voters by email, providing them with their unique passcodes and information about how to vote online. Emails will be sent over a three-day period between March 19 – 21.  This year members will have the option of accessing their ballot from the URL provided in the email and using their unique passcode, or directly from the ALA website using their ALA member ID.  This and other new features will be detailed in upcoming announcements.

The polls close at 11:59 Central time on Friday, April 26.

On May 3, the Election Committee will meet at the ALA offices to certify the election.  Election results will be released following that meeting.

Although the election is being conducted online, there remains one exception. Members with disabilities and without Internet access may obtain a paper ballot by contacting ALA customer service at 1 (800) 545-2433, ext. 5. Those without Internet access at home or work can easily access the election site by visiting their local public (or in many instances academic or school) library.

In addition to the ALA president and Councilor-at-Large, this year members are also asked to vote for ALA Treasurer.

“Voting is one of the most important things you do as a member,” said ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels. “The President and Treasurer represent all of us as members, whether doing hundreds of media interviews each year or helping to guide the association through financial opportunities and challenges. They are our spokespeople - and that of libraries around the country.”

Presidential Candidates

Barbara F. Immroth and Courtney L. Young are the candidates for the 2014-15 presidency of the American Library Association (ALA).

Immroth has been an ALA member since 1971. She was the president (1989-90) of the Association for Library Service to Children and was also on its board of directors (1982-90).

Her activities have also included serving as Councilor-at-large (1983-87, 1992-96, 2000-04); on the Intellectual Freedom Committee (1978-82) and the Committee on Appointments (1989-90).

She chaired the Committee on Research and Statistics (1991-95), the Nominating Committee (1997-98) and the American Libraries Editorial Advisory Board (2003-04), and was a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Children Libraries (2006-2010).

In addition, she served the Freedom to Read Foundation as a trustee (1991-95) and as vice-president and the Library Research Round Table on its Steering Committee (1986-89) and its chair (1987-88).

Immroth was president of the Texas Library Association (1997-98), which also bestowed upon her its lifetime achievement award in 2009.

Her honors include the American Library Association/Office for Intellectual Freedom and Freedom to Read Foundation Roll of Honor and the ALA Phi Beta Mu Award (2007).

She has co-authored several publications, such as “Health Information for Youth: The Public Library and School Library Media Center Role” (2007, Libraries Unlimited) and “Library Service to Youth of Hispanic Heritage” (2000, McFarland).

Immroth holds an A.B. in Spanish from Brown University (1964); an M.A. in Librarianship from the University of Denver (1965); a school library certification from Duquesne University (1975); and a Ph.D. in Library and Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh (1980).

Young has been an ALA member since 2002. Her activities have included serving as a member of the ALA Executive Board (2009-2012) and ALA Councilor-at-large (2008-11, 2012-15), as well as the Awards Committee (2012-14), the Finance and Audit Committee (2012-14) and the ALA-APA Fundraising Committee (2012-2013). She has also been a member of the ALA Resolutions Committee (2008-09) and the ALA Task Force on Electronic Member Participation (2007-09).

She has served as New Members Round Table (NMRT) president (2009-10), councilor (2005-08), Diversity Committee chair (2003-04) and Student Chapter of the Year Award chair (2004-05).

For ACRL, she was a member of the WSS Instruction Committee, Women’s Studies Section (2003-05); the AFAS Conference Program Planning Committee (2003-05, 2006-08); and the Scholarship Committee at the 2009 ACRL National Conference (2008-09).

She was a member of the Michigan Library Association Electronic Publishing Committee (1999-2002) and the chair of that committee (2001-02).

Her honors include a Certificate of Distinguished Service, ALA Executive Board (2012); Library Journal Mover Shaker (2011); Plaque of Appreciation from the NMRT (2010); and a Staff Achievement Award, Libraries, Michigan State University (2002).

Her publications include “‘Lifelong Skills.’ Room for Debate,” (2011, New York Times); and “Incorporating Undergraduate Advising in Teaching Information Literacy: Case Study for Academic Librarians as Advisors” (2008, Journal of Academic Librarianship).

She received a B.A. in English from The College of Wooster (1996) and an MLS from Simmons College (1997).

Treasurer Candidates

Clara Nalli Bohrer and Mario M. Gonzalez are the candidates for treasurer of the American Library Association (ALA) for 2013-16.

Bohrer is director of the West Bloomfield Township Public Library in West Bloomfield, Mich. A member of ALA since 1978, Bohrer has been a member (2009-11) and chair (2011-13) of the ALA Budget and Analysis Review Committee and a member of ALA’s Finance and Audit Committee (2011-13). She has served as a member of ALA’s Sullivan Award Jury (2009-10), its Public Awareness Committee (2005-08), its Nominating Committee (2001-02) and its Grolier Award Jury (2000-01).

Bohrer was PLA president (2004-05), as well as a member of its Board of Directors (2000-02, 2003-06) and the chair of its Budget and Finance Committee (2005-08), its representative to the ALA Planning and Budget Assembly (2005-08), a member of its Public Libraries Advisory Committee (2008-10, 2011-13), chair of the 2004 PLA National Conference and chair (2007-11) of the PLA/ALSC Every Child Ready to Read Evaluation Task Force. Bohrer also served on the ALSC Board of Directors (1997-2000).

In 2009, she received the ALA Sullivan Award for Public Library Administrators Supporting Services to Children.

Bohrer was president of the Michigan Library Association (1987-88) and served as a trustee of the Oakland County Library Board (2011-16).

As director of the West Bloomfield Township Public Library (WBTPL), an independent entity with taxing authority, Bohrer led a successful $10.8 million dollar capital campaign referendum to renovate and expand library facilities. During her tenure she has also successfully sought voter approval for increased operating funds. In 2010, the WBTPL was a recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Services from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

Bohrer holds a BA (1973) and MA (1984) from the University of Michigan and an MLS from Wayne State University (1976).

Gonzalez is executive director of the Passaic (N.J.) Public Library.  An ALA member since 1985, Gonzalez has served on the Executive Board (2006-09), chair (2010-11) and member (2006-12) of the Budget Analysis and Review Committee (BARC), a member of the Finance Audit Committee (2010-11) and has been a councilor-at-large since 1996. 

Among his many responsibilities in ALA, he has been involved with the Planning and Budget Assembly (1997-99, 2006-12), the President’s Steering Committee (2009-11), the ALA President’s Task Force on Elections (2008-11), the ALA Campaign for America’s Libraries (2009-present), the ALA International Relations Committee (2004-06), the ALA Nominating Committee (2003-04), the ALA Committee on Committees (2002-03), the ALA Chapter Relations Committee (2001-03) and the ALA Literacy Assembly (1998-99).

Gonzalez has been on the Public Library Association Board of Directors (2004-07) and the PLA’s Leadership Committee (2007-present) and its Nominating Committee (2006).  In addition, he has been on the Executive Board of RUSA (1992-95) and the Board of ASCLA (2000-03). He served as president of EMIERT Executive Board.

He has also been involved and held offices in affiliates, state and regional associations including the New Jersey Library Association, New York Library Association, the Chinese-American Library Association, the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, the Asian Pacific Library Association and REFORMA, for which he served on the executive board 1990-1997 and as president in 1991-92. He also helped found REFORMA’s Puerto Rico Chapter.

He worked with two Boards of Trustees on monitoring and appropriating funds from the $37 million Peterson Foundation, one of the largest public library foundations in the country.  As a current member of the Orangeburg (N.Y.) Public Library Board of Trustees, Mr. Gonzalez has been elected to serves as Treasurer for the past 7 years. 

Gonzalez has also served as the Treasurer for the Passaic Club of Rotary International and is currently the president.

His honors include: two Librarian of the Year Awards for Outstanding Service to the Spanish Speaking in the Nation as well as the Northeastern U.S., Outstanding Service for Treasurer from REFORMA Northeast and the Eleanor Roosevelt Community Service Award for Service to the Homeless.

Gonzalez received a BA in Spanish Psychology from the City College of New York. He holds an MLIS from the Graduate School of Library Information Science at the Pratt Institute. He also completed the Executive Education Program at Harvard Business School.   

Watch excerpts of the Presidential and Treasurer Candidates’ Forum that took place at the 2013 ALA Midwinter Meeting.

Biographical information about the Councilor-at-Large candidates, including a searchable Excel spreadsheet can be found online.

The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 61,000 members. Its mission is to promote the highest quality library and information services and public access to information.

For more information on the election, call (800) 545-2433, ext. 5, or email membership@ala.org.

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