Meet the ASCLA Board of Directors: Kathleen Moeller-Peiffer, President-Elect/Vice President

Throughout the coming weeks on this blogspace, we’ll be profiling members of the ASCLA Board of Directors, and it’s the perfect opportunity to learn a bit more about these amazing leaders! Does something in their replies pique your interest? Reach out to them via their contact info at the end of the post. A little networking goes a long way towards improving your personal and professional life.

Kathi Moeller-Peiffer
Kathi Moeller-Peiffer

Kathleen Moeller-Peiffer

Deputy State Librarian for Lifelong Learning

New Jersey State Library

Kathi is also ASCLA’s President-Elect, and completed a different Q&A session back in the spring–you can read it here.

  • Why did you join ASCLA? I joined ASCLA as it was the best professional “fit” within ALA once I began my work at a state library.
  • How has ASCLA helped you in your career? ASCLA has helped me in my career by the ability to meet so many talented and interesting people from which I have learned so much, especially about leadership.
  • What are some of the ASCLA activities you’ve participated in (committee volunteering, etc.)? I’ve participated in the State Library Agency Section, the Membership Committee, the President’s Program Committee and as Secretary on the ASCLA Board.
  • What is the current hot topic in your area of library work? How can ASCLA/ALA help address this issue? Ebooks are a hot topic for everyone. ASCLA can help by the discussions we have at board meetings on this and a variety of issues.
  • Tell us about your current role at your library/institution, and maybe a little bit about your career path, too. I currently work with three project specialists with expertise in such areas as youth services, diversity and outreach to small business. I worked in public libraries for most of my career which was excellent preparation for State Library work.
  • Describe a particularly rewarding experience in your library career. My most rewarding experience in my library career was being part of the team that brought up staff and public Internet access at the Durham County Library in Durham North Carolina.
  • What are you currently reading or listening to? I just finished Jill McCorkle’s book Life after Life and am saving other favorite authors for my upcoming August vacation.
  • Give one fun fact about yourself. I trained for a sprint triathlon that I never got to participate in, but I will finish one in my lifetime!
  • Any hobbies? See “fun fact” above!
  • Who is your hero? My heroes are my children as I watch them each find their own path in the world.

Reach Kathi at kpeiffer -at- njstatelib (dot) org.

Meet the ASCLA Board of Directors: Liz Bishoff, Division Councilor

Throughout the coming weeks on this blogspace, we’ll be profiling members of the ASCLA Board of Directors, and it’s the perfect opportunity to learn a bit more about these amazing leaders! Does something in their replies pique your interest? Reach out to them via their contact info at the end of the post. A little networking goes a long way towards improving your personal and professional life.

Liz Bishoff
Liz Bishoff

Liz Bishoff

Consultant, The Bishoff Group

ASCLA Division Councilor, 2012-2015

  • Why did you join ASCLA? I was the chair of an unaffiliated organization of people who managed statewide and regional digital collaboratives, we saw ASCLA and ICAN (former Interlibrary Cooperation And Networking Section of ASCLA) as a natural home for us.
  • How has ASCLA helped you in your career? As with other ALA organizations, it provides a means of networking with people who have common interests.  As a consultant I can share interests and challenges and opportunities with other consultants
  • What are some of the ASCLA activities you’ve participated in (committee volunteering, etc.)? ASCLA board, preconference presenter, task forces, Councilor, leadership sessions
  • Describe a particularly rewarding experience in your library career. Too many rewarding experiences–it’s been a fantastic career–the development of the digital environment has offered exciting opportunities to work with other cultural heritage organizations as well as all types of libraries
  • Who is your hero? My mom is my hero–she refused to fit into the mold of the 50’s mom.

Reach Liz at liz (dot) bishoff -at- gmail (dot) com, or catch her in person at the 2014 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia where she’ll be presenting at the ASCLA Midwinter Institute “Assembling a Consulting Toolkit: What You Need to Know to be a Successful Library Consultant.

Volunteers wanted! ASCLA awards committee seeks virtual participants

We are seeking a few additional members to volunteer for the ASCLA Awards Committee! Could it be you?!

Keep reading for more information about the committee and its responsibilities. If you’re interested in participating, please send an e-mail to the following people prior to Sept. 1: ASCLA President Sara Laughlin (saraglaughlin@gmail.com, Award Committee Chair Will Reed (will.reed@cpl.org) and ASCLA Marketing and Programs Manager Liz Markel (lmarkel@ala.org) with the subject line “ASCLA Awards Committee Volunteer.”

What does the ASCLA Awards Committee do? What are my obligations as a committee member? The role of the awards committee is to promote the open nomination period for the awards each fall, with help from the ASCLA office. Once the nominations have been received, the committee meets virtually to review the nomination materials and select winners. Committee members also help gather information about winners via phone and e-mail that supports the announcement and promotion of the winners by the ASCLA office.

How often do we meet? Do I have to attend conferences? The work of the committee is done virtually, so no conference attendance is required. Awards are presented at the ASCLA/COSLA Reception at the ALA Annual Conference; committee members are encouraged to attend and participate if they are attending the conference, but it’s not required. The committee meets approximately quarterly via phone and also engages in virtual conversations using ALA Connect.

What kind of person/skills are you looking for to serve on this committee? We are looking for members to represent the state library, consulting/independent librarians and consortia/networking constituencies of ASCLA on this committee. We are also looking for members who are willing to do a little virtual work engaging the library community to spread the word about the awards and help find nominees, thoughtfully contribute to the nominee review process and correspond by e-mail or phone with a winner or two to publicize the award in the spring.

ASCLA offers five awards annually—here’s a brief overview:

  • ASCLA/Keystone Library Automation System (KLAS)/National Organization on Disability (NOD) Award A $1,000 award and certificate for a library organization that has provided services for people with disabilities. The award recognizes an innovative and well-organized project which successfully developed or expanded services for people with disabilities. The award can be for a specific service(s) program or for a library that has made their total services more accessible through changing physical and/or attitudinal barriers.
  • Francis Joseph Campbell Award A citation and a medal presented to a person or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of library service for the blind and physically handicapped. This contribution may take the form of an imaginative and constructive program in a particular library; a recognized contribution to the national library program for blind persons; creative participation in library associations or organizations that advance reading for the blind; a significant publication or writing in the field; imaginative contribution to library administration, reference, circulation, selection, acquisitions, or technical services; or any activity of recognized importance.
  • ASCLA Exceptional Service Award A citation presented to recognize exceptional service to patients, to the homebound, to people of all ages who live in group homes or residences, and to inmates, as well as to recognize professional leadership, effective interpretation of programs, pioneering activity, and significant research of experimental projects.
  • ASCLA Leadership & Professional Achievement Award This prestigious award is presented to one or more ASCLA members (personal or organizational) exemplifying leadership and achievement in one or more of the following areas: consulting, library cooperation, networking, statewide services and programs and state library development.
  • Cathleen Bourdon Service Award This citation is presented to an ASCLA personal member for outstanding service and leadership to the division. The award recognizes sustained leadership and exceptional service through participation in activities which have enhanced the stature, reputation, and overall strength of ASCLA; and representation of ASCLA to other appropriate organizations, institutions, or governmental agencies.

If you’re interested in participating, please send an e-mail to the following people prior to Sept. 1: ASCLA President Sara Laughlin (saraglaughlin@gmail.com, Award Committee Chair Will Reed (will.reed@cpl.org) and ASCLA Marketing and Programs Manager Liz Markel (lmarkel@ala.org) with the subject line “ASCLA Awards Committee Volunteer.”

Leadership Opportunity: ASCLA Nominating Committee seeks candidates, gives you the inside scoop on serving ASCLA

The ASCLA Nominating Committee, chaired by ASCLA member Ray James, seeks applicants for vacant board positions to be elected early in 2014. Read on to learn more about the available positions and what each of them entails. To express interest in a position or ask questions about serving on the ASCLA board,  contact Ray at erayjames@gmail.com.

With apologies to the memory of JFK, “Ask not only what ASCLA can do for you, but also what can you do for ASCLA.”

Each spring, the American Library Association holds elections for various leadership positions throughout the association. ASCLA has five leadership positions available in the next election cycle with service to start after the end of the 2014 Las Vegas Annual Conference. If you are a current member of ASCLA and active with any of the interest groups with open board seats, then you are eligible for leadership roles in one ALA’s fastest growing divisions!

The positions to be filled are:

  • President-Elect 2014-2015 (a 3 year commitment–2014 through 2017–that includes the president-elect year, presidential year, and past president year);
  • Director-at-Large 2014-2016 (2 year term);
  • Designated Director, Cooperatives and Networks 2014-2016 (2 year term);
  • Designated Director, Special Populations 2014-2016 (2 year term);
  • and Designated Director, State Library Agencies 2014-2016 (2 year term).

As a potential candidate, the first two questions that may come to mind are “What do I have to do?” and “Do I have to go to conferences?”

The basic answer to the first question comes from a statement of responsibilities that goes to everyone who expresses an interest in serving of the ASCLA Board of Directors. In a nutshell for the Designated Directors:

  • Serves  on the ASCLA board as a representative of one of the following typesof library organizations, constituencies or agencies: state library agencies, library agencies and individuals which provide library materials and service to populations with special needs, library cooperatives, and library consultants or independent librarians.
  • Serves on the ASCLA Interest Group Coordinating Committee (IGCC)
  • Assumes other responsibilities as assigned by the president.

Directors-at-Large represent ASCLA as a whole rather than a particular interest group and do not serve on the IGCC. Service is for two years which begins at the close of the Annual conference in the year of election and ends at the close of Annual conference two years later. The Vice-President/President-Elect role is more expansive.

What does this all mean? At a bare minimum it means going to board meetings and staying awake. No one ever does just the bare minimum. Until ASCLA implements a virtual meeting standard, directors and other association officers need to attend the Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference during their term of service, though there may be virtual board meetings that take place outside of these twice annual face-to-face meetings.

The prestige of serving on ASCLA board is often impetus from a librarian’s workplace to provide financial support for attending these conferences. Some directors choose to fund the experience themselves. In my opinion, the real pleasure from serving as a director is interacting with other professionals from such diverse areas as correctional librarianship to those who provide service to people with physical or intellectual limitations to consultants to those who work in state libraries. By learning about the issues and solutions in librarianship from this multiplicity of backgrounds, every director expands his or her horizons. Think of it as networking on steroids.

For those in the profession for many years working on the ASCLA Board can be a reward for years of service and a chance to mentor younger members of the profession. For the younger members of the profession taking a leadership role is not just a resume builder but also an opportunity to learn, network, and influence the future of the profession.

For me personally, serving on the ASCLA board meant some of all of above plus travels to Chicago, Anaheim, Dallas, Denver, San Diego, New Orleans, and Seattle. It meant expanding my perceptions far beyond my job. It meant a sense of accomplishment from helping to guide changes in ASCLA, helping introduce new faces and ideas to ASCLA leadership, and taking part in expanding not only the membership numbers but also the perceptions of ALA members and non-ALA folks about ASCLA and its mission “to enhance the effectiveness of library service by advocating for and providing high quality networking, enrichment and educational opportunities for its diverse members, who represent state library agencies, libraries serving special populations, library cooperatives, and library consultants.”

Interested in throwing your hat in the ring, or at least exploring your options? Contact the Nominating Committee via Committee Chair Ray James at erayjames@gmail.com to get the ball rolling!