Friday, April 24, 2009

Last Day to Vote in ALA election!!!

I wanted to re-iterate my call to vote. Voting has decreased significantly. I'm not terribly sure why. If people complain about our leaders in ALA, why don't they vote? Do they not think it'll make a difference? The motto that I try to live by when discussing politics or activism is: Change from within. You can gripe all you want...only if you're trying to do something to change things.
I know it's always a possibility that at some point, I too may throw my hands in the air and leave but for now, to quote Margaret Cho, "I've chosen to stay and fight."

For Council:

* Aaron Dobbs - He is passionate about our profession and has served well for this past year.
* Heidi Dolamore - She is a dynamo! I admire her constant vigilance of representing under-represented groups such as library school students.
* Reese Evenson - An Emerging Leader that noticed that I was on Council and asked, "How do you get involved in that?" She is young, vivacious and enthusiastic about getting more involved in ALA.

For ALA President:

* Roberta Stevens - Having served with her on Council, I see her as a leader that seeks to hear numerous sides to an issue and is driven to serve as a voice for younger librarians. I will freely admit that I did not appreciate Kenton Oliver's remarks regarding electronic participation. I felt that he neglected to visualize the possibilities and I feel that Roberta Stevens at least is willing to embrace them. He stated that our conferences are a cash cow. But, with all due respect, I feel that the ALA Executive Board reveres them as sacred cows, not to be tampered with. Roberta Stevens is open to change and I respect that as a candidate for ALA president. Please consider voting for her.

For AASL President

* Terri Kirk - If there is one person I admire in ALA, it is Terri Kirk. Her steadfast service to ALA and school libraries is nonpariel. She too has served on ALA Executive Board and her wealth of knowledge makes her the most prepared and qualified candidate! If you are a member of AASL (That's the American Association of School Librarians), please vote for Terri Kirk as your new president!

But most importantly: VOTE!!!!

The polls close at 11:59 P.M. CDT on Friday, April 24. THAT'S TONIGHT!!

If you haven't received your e-mail ballot by March 20, please call ALA Membership and Customer Service at (800) 545-2433 (press 5) or send an e-mail to membership@ala.org. They can then send you a Web ballot.