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Candidate Statement
If you were to ask me how I can have the audacity to say I am qualified to be President of CLA, I would tell you it is because of my long and varied career. More than most, I have been willing to explore and get to know all kinds libraries, the people who work in them, and the communities they serve. I have never been afraid of change or challenges, and have worked in city and county libraries, in school and in academic libraries, in a research facility in Silicon Valley and in a database company. I can identify with rural communities and can understand urban culture. I have been on the CLA Board and have been the President of the California County Librarians Association. I have overseen the building of a 1,200 square foot library, and am now working with an awesome team to open the doors of a 60,000 square foot library. I love to do story-times for kids and I can talk to big stakes donors and politicians.
I am a pragmatist who has seen the impact of libraries on life in California, and I know the challenges that libraries of all kinds face. I love libraries and all the people who work in them and support them. I am fun and I am bold, and I can and will speak for all members of the library world. I hope you will let me represent you as your President.
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Questionnaire
1. Why are you interested in this position?
I have considered running for the position of President many times, but I wanted to wait till I was sure I could truly make a difference by my leadership. I have been on the CLA Board for 4 years now and I have been in this profession a long time. Having worked in many different types of libraries including private industry, I think I have a somewhat unique perspective and can represent, and connect with, many people in our profession. I have a strong appreciation for the value both professionals and paraprofessionals bring to the field. I appreciate the momentum our recent CLA Presidents, Boards, staff and, of course, our members, have given the organization and would like to keep it going. The time is right, and I am ready to take on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
2. How would you describe your personal leadership/communication style?
I like to involve stakeholders and the people around me in issues as much as possible, but also like to keep moving forward and getting things done. I tend to be very open and unafraid to ask questions even if it means revealing my ignorance. Being unafraid is probably one of my strongest characteristics as a leader.
As I have mentioned during a previous board election, I would describe my communication style as friendly with a chance of humor.
3. What strengths would you bring to the position?
My greatest strengths are my enthusiasm, persistence and willingness to take on tough issues, all while being willing to ask for any help I may need. I have worked in a large variety of libraries and bring a very broad perspective on California Libraries that is based in inclusiveness. I recognize and acknowledge the successes that CLA has had in the recent past and am ready and willing to work with past CLA leaders and with our membership at large to keep moving us forward.
4. What experience do you bring to this position?
I have over 3 decades of experience in our profession having worked in a variety of libraries (City, County, Academic and Private Industry), the last 12 years as a library director/county librarian. I have not only gained knowledge of the various types of libraries but have also built strong relationships over the years. The CLA President cannot do anything alone. I expect to have to, and to be able to, reach out to the many strong members of our profession who have the same goals as me of seeing our profession thrive and being able to serve our communities better.
5. What issues or trends are particularly informing your work at this time?
We are largely a responsive and reactive profession. We respond to the current needs in our spheres. Like many other library staff in the country some of the key issues that are constantly on my mind are the challenges of serving populations faced with unstable, or complete lack of, housing; the proliferation of constantly changing technology; the rapidly evolving identities of our communities; and resiliency issues. This in addition to local issues, obviously.
6. Who are the thought leaders (in libraries or in other fields) who interest you?
This is a difficult question for me. In this age of constant social media feeds and news updates from so many sources, it is hard for me to pick one or two people. I am something of an in-depth news junkie, i.e. I like to read articles in depth and can be very influenced by well argued essays, even if I never read that person’s work ever again. For me it is more about ideas than about the people. Though I truly appreciate the philanthropic work that Bill & Melinda Gates are doing and I believe in Elizabeth Warren’s approach to focusing policy changes on making a difference where it counts most and impacts the largest number of people rather than pandering to a select few.
7. Who are the regional and statewide stakeholders libraries need to be in communication with?
I believe that we have to continue to partner closely with the State Library and to help support them so they can continue to support us. But in addition there are some other stakeholders we should be working with.
As I mentioned earlier, we are a largely reactive profession. We uncomplainingly accept what comes at us and adapt to current needs of the public, and that is okay, But we also need to be at the table in policy planning for the future.
For years we have complained about the issues of the mentally ill in our libraries. We have talked about the fear of violence (I wrote about this almost 30 years ago myself for a Bay Area newspaper). But what are we actually doing? Even now, so many years after his governorship and presidency, people shake their heads and talk about Reagan cutting funding for services and centers for the mentally ill and placing them on the streets. They are so many mentally ill people in our in the library nowadays and we keep adding security guards and social workers and train our staff to deal with untenable situations. What, I ask again, are we actually doing to improve the situation as opposed to providing band aid solutions one patron at a time? Have we participated in broader discussions on these issues? Are we advocating at higher levels for better services outside the library so that we are not always picking up where others are shedding their responsibilities?
We need to keep in touch with our city councils and boards of supervisors. But we also need to be talking with our senators and congressional representatives at the federal and state level. We need to ask candidates who are running for office what their views are. How about the business community? What about our vendors and suppliers who profit off our services? What are they doing to improve the situation in libraries? Are they making our concerns know to the larger business and political communities? Are they providing us funding and support to fight the good fight? We need to change the paradigm and assess our resources to serve our communities in broader terms than simply funding.
Most of all, I encourage librarians and library staff all over the state and the country to consider running for office at all levels and introduce our perspective into the decision-making process.
8. What do you feel are the most critical challenges and opportunities facing California libraries right now?
One of the biggest challenges for libraries today is our identity crisis: who are we and what does being a library mean? The public still associates us with reading and books, but in reality, a large part of our resources and efforts are devoted to serving as the daytime shelters for unhoused and mentally ill populations and the related issues of safety of our staff and facilities. We are also dealing with as the impacts of shifting immigration policies, the management of the use and availability of technology in our libraries, and our role in helping build resilient communities. In rural areas, isolation of libraries and staff, lack of resources, and lack of respect for professional services and contributions to the community at many levels, are added on to the challenges that are present state-wide. I see all these issues as opportunities to make meaningful impacts on our communities, but also opportunities to be involved in conversations around sensible policy making. As a profession we need to decide who we are and what our primary role should be. We complain about the social challenges we have to deal with, but don’t want to give up our roles as heroes riding in to the rescue on our trusty steeds.
In the current political climate, we need to be careful about our desire to take what we consider the moral high ground and condemning those we don’t agree with or pushing our own viewpoints. 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.
9. Describe your experience serving on Association committees and/or interest groups.
I am in my second term on the CLA Board. I have been President of the California County Librarians Association (CCLA) and was their Vice-President/President elect when I left Monterey County to come to Hayward Public Library. I have been part of library think tanks and committees, was very active in advocating for rural libraries in California, have worked on many boards and groups at the local level including on the Board of the Literacy Campaign for Monterey County, the Equal Opportunity Commission, a private school’s board, a chapter of the AFS foreign exchange program for students, etc. My experience extends well beyond the library field.
10. 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 across the state and from many library systems and at the State Library.
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