NEWS For Immediate Release May 3, 2013

Contact: JoAnne Kempf

CHICAGO - Courtney Louise Young, head librarian at the Penn State Greater Allegheny has been elected president-elect of the American Library Association, defeating. Barbara Froling Immroth, professor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Information

Young received 5,391 votes, while Immroth received 5,029 votes.

As ALA president, Young will be the chief elected officer for the oldest and largest library association in the world.

Young will become president-elect at the close of the 2013 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago and will assume the ALA presidency at the close of the 2014 ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas.

 “It is truly an honor to be elected by members of ALA to serve as president. I am excited to continue working with ALA members and ALA staff to demonstrate the value of membership through diversity, career development and engagement and outreach,” she said.

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 Planning and Budget Assembly (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).

A five-year dues adjustment mechanism proposal passed, 7,832 votes to 2,969 votes. The proposal directs the Executive Board to review personal member dues annually every September from 2013 to 2017 in consideration of a dues adjustment not to exceed the percentage change in the national average Consumer Price Index (CPI). Any increase proposed above the CPI would be subject to a mail vote of personal members, and any subsequent dues adjustment after 2017 would require approval by the ALA Executive Board, Council, and a mail vote of ALA personal members.

For more election results, including those for Council, divisions, and round tables, watch for updates at ala.org.  

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