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CLA Elections 2018 - Jayanti Addleman

2018 CLA ELECTIONS

Candidates for President:

  Candidates for Secretary

  Candidates for Board 

Jayanti Addleman, Monterey County Free Libraries

Board at Large

Questionaire

  1.  How do you define leadership? 
    Because of the times we are living in, I am going to quote John Kenneth Galbraith here: “All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership.” Though this characteristic can be used to manipulate people with negative results, it can also be used to raise people to be the very best they can be. 

  2. Why are you interested in this position? 
    It is important for the CLA Board to represent many viewpoints and reflect the makeup of California and California libraries. I would like to continue provide a voice for libraries that are rural, small, or underfunded, as well as the large variety of libraries that don’t fall neatly into the mold of urban/metropolitan/high density population systems. I will also speak for many smaller communities that remain underserved and hidden from view.

  3.  How would you describe your personal leadership/communication style? 
    Friendly with a chance of humor.

  4.  What strengths would you bring to the position?
    My strength in this position would be my willingness to be a liaison for the communities I represent: which would mean not only speaking for them, but also taking CLA’s message to them and encouraging participation. One of my greatest motivations is fighting for the underdog. 

  5.  What experience do you bring to this position?
    I have three decades of experience in our profession, having worked in a variety of libraries (City, County, Academic and Private Industry), and have learned a lot and built strong relationships along the way. 

  6.  What issues or trends are particularly informing your work at this time?Like many county and rural libraries in California, one of our biggest challenges is successfully serving a variety of branches that are widely spread geographically, are often isolated, and have very unique characteristics.  Our branches are often the community hub, simply because there are no other resources in the community. We have to keep members of our communities informed and competitive in today’s world, and are usually working with very limited financial and staff resources. I am proud to say that my library system is doing an amazing job, thanks to great ingenuity and creativity of the staff, and also strong partnerships in the community.

  7. Who are the thought leaders (in libraries or in other fields) who interest you?
    I really appreciate what Bill & Melinda Gates are doing. People whose words and thought process I am often inspired by are Jimmy Carter, Elizabeth Warren, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This is just a handful of them, but the list is very long and changes frequently.  As a news junky, I am constantly fired up by different things I read or hear on a daily basis.

  8.  Who are the regional and statewide stakeholders libraries need to be in communication with?
    We definitely need to be communicating with our elected officials and community leaders, our State Librarian, and building grassroots support though our Friends groups, Foundations, and library users in general. However, it is also particularly important that we keep communication open with groups that feel marginalized or left behind. 

  9.  What do you feel are the most critical challenges and opportunities facing California libraries right now?
    Now more than ever we have an opportunity to reclaim our reputation as the best source of unbiased information for all and on all topics. One of the biggest challenges facing libraries is remaining neutral while serving our communities. We tend to be passionate about serving the underserved and want o right much that is wrong in the world. This can go too far and we are challenged by  a strong sense among many in our profession about needing to take the moral high ground by condemning those we don’t agree with or pushing our own viewpoints. 

    We need to be very careful of driving people away and possibly isolating those in our own profession who have different views. Our goal should be to include everyone, give them a chance to be honestly educated and heard, and not get left behind. We need to be building and preserving democracy through knowledge and exposure to ideas and the wonders of a rapidly changing world.

  10.  Describe your experience serving on Association committees and/or interest groups.
    I am completing my first term on the CLA Board. I have been president of the California County Librarians Association (CCLA) and am once again their Vice-President/President elect. I have worked on many boards and groups locally including on the Board of the Literacy Campaign for Monterey County, a local private school, our local chapter of the foreign exchange program for students.

  11.  Describe your network of connections with library professionals and library stakeholders in California.
    Having been in this profession for so many years, and having been on the board of both CLA and an officer at CCLA, I have built many strong and lasting relationships with peers and staff from many library systems and at the State Library.