by Michael Golrick
What a year! But first, let’s celebrate at ALA in Chicago. On Saturday, June 24, 2017 at 10:00am we will have the ASCLA Achievement & Recognition Awards Ceremony in the Hilton Chicago (Michigan Avenue) in the Williford C Room. There will be a breakfast provided. We are grateful to our breakfast sponsors the Chief Officers of Library Agencies (COSLA) and Keystone Systems who are underwriting the breakfast. The ceremony immediately follows ASCLA 101 which will be held in in Williford A starting at 8:30 am. If you want to find out how you can become more involved in ASLCA, this is your chance.
The Awards Ceremony this year will be a joint event with the Federal & Armed Forces Libraries Round Table (FAFLRT). In the spring, FAFLRT members voted to merge with ASCLA. We look forward to working out the details over the next several months, and the joint awards ceremony and several joint programs are the beginning of the relationship. (Program planning takes some time, so the joint programs were planned before the merger vote took place.)
Later in the day, I would invite you to join me at “Healthy Aging @ Your Library: Connecting Older Adults to Health Information.” The ASCLA President’s Program takes place Saturday, June 24 from 1 – 2:30 pm in McCormick Place, Room W175b.
As you may be aware, our Executive Director, Susan Hornung retired this spring. We recognized her at the Board meeting in Atlanta, and wish her the best in her next adventure. The search for her replacement continues. Applications are being reviewed, and more will take place over the summer. Because this is a joint position with RUSA (Reference and User Services Association), the committee includes the current President-Elect, Jeannette Smithee and me, along with three volunteers from RUSA and representatives from ALA staff. At the Annual Conference in Chicago, the RUSA and ASCLA Board will meet jointly on Saturday at 2 pm in Room 475b of McCormick Place for a discussion of the position.
I am excited about ASCLA’s future as I turn over leadership to Jeannette Smithee. We have opportunities with our federal and armed forces library colleagues. We will have new leadership on the staff side, and we have a team of committed volunteer leaders to move us forward. It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve as the President of ASCLA this year.