Board Candidate

I am honored to have the opportunity to run for the California Library Association Board of Directors.  CLA’s mission to provide “leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library services, librarianship and the library community,” is more important than ever right now.  We need a central space to share ideas and best practices, to build networks and to collaborate on common goals.  Whether through conferences, advocacy, or technology, our collective voices are louder and more impactful.

I believe that my background in recruiting would be an asset to the Board as CLA looks for a new Executive Director.  Working with teams to build ideal candidate descriptions, identify candidates, and create recruitment processes specific to each position has afforded me much success in matching the right person to the right role. 

Participating in the Executive Board of the Pacific Library Partnership has also provided me many opportunities that I believe would translate well to work with the CLA Board—from looking at the shared and diverse needs of different types of libraries to budgeting and strategic planning to create the largest impacts within the service area.  Connecting with a wide geographic range can be challenging.  Creating multiple avenues for participation and information-sharing helps build a more relevant and connected organization. 

Biography

Heidi Murphy is currently the Director of Library Services for the Pleasanton Public Library and serves on the Executive Committee for the Pacific Library Partnership.  She is passionate about people and people’s stories and has been in the Library field for more than 15 years—serving as a school district librarian, children’s librarian, library manager as well as library director.  She also brings with her a background in recruitment, training and communications. 

Heidi has a Bachelor of Arts in Literature from the University of California Santa Cruz and a Masters of Library and Information Science from San Jose State University.  She lives in Los Gatos with her two teenage children and loves cooking, gardening, exploring new ideas and spaces, and connecting with people.