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Nancy Schram, Ventura County Library System

Candidate for Director At-Large

Candidates for President-Elect

• Dara Bradds
• Anthony Chow
• Shawn Thrasher 

Candidates for Treasurer

• Nichole Brown
• Derek Wolfgram

Candidates for Director At-large (3 positions open)

• Migell Acosta
• Kris Amaral
• Chris Barnickel
• Stefanie Gyles
• Zachery Ramos
  Candidate withdrew
  
• Nancy Schram
  

Candidate for Student Representative

• Deidra (Dee) Kolman 
  

Candiate for ALA Chapter Councilor 

• Ziba Perez 
  

Biography

Nancy Schram is the Library Director for the Ventura County Library System since December 2017. She joined the Ventura County Library System as the Deputy Library Director in 2016. Prior to that, she worked for almost ten years for the City of Thousand Oaks Library as Deputy Library Director and Division Manager. She also worked nine years for the County of Los Angeles Public Library in several positions including Adult Literacy Coordinator and Branch Library Manager in Westlake Village and Canyon Country, CA.  She started her professional librarian career in 1994 at the Carol Stream Public Library in IL where she worked for three years before moving to CA.  She holds a master’s

degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and a bachelor’s degree with a major in English from Marquette University. She is a longtime member of both the California Library Association and the American Library Association. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for CENIC, the Board of Directors for the Ventura County Library Foundation, and the Administrative Council for the Southern California Library Cooperative. She is the current President of the California County Librarians Association. 

Candidate Statement

Good leadership to me means being a good coach. It means cultivating trust within the team and between team members and leadership. Being honest and open are essential, even if it means having to have difficult conversations. I also believe a leader must listen to everyone on the team and look for good ideas from all levels within an organization. Being able to admit when mistakes are made is also important. I like to lead by example and jump in to roll up my sleeves and provide support at every opportunity. I consider myself a democratic leader, where all team members are encouraged to give ideas, but I’m able to make final decisions as the team leader when needed. I find that explaining why decisions have been made can go a long way in gaining support from those who may initially have questions or disagree. A leader must take risks and allow team members the space to do so as well. A leader must not let fear stand in the way of innovation and creation.

I would like to serve on the CLA Board of Directors to play a part in shaping and improving libraries and library services across the state. I want to explore opportunities for libraries to create efficiencies and be more effective with the resources they have, but also find ways to increase awareness, resources, and support for libraries. Libraries can simply do more if they have more resources and can have even more positive impact on communities. I want to brainstorm with colleagues and learn from them. I want to help library workers across California serve their own communities in any way I can.

I believe in communicating in a professional, transparent, and truthful manner as a leader. I would bring twenty-eight years of experience working in public libraries to this role, twenty-five of them in California. I am a dedicated public servant and passionate about library services, especially to underserved and vulnerable populations.

Libraries today are rightfully at the forefront of ensuring digital equity and equal access to technology, and I believe this is a critical role for modern libraries to play. Technology has become not only how we deliver services, but the product itself. Libraries can and should play an even bigger role in providing digital literacy and helping people develop critical technological competencies. Improving library infrastructure is necessary to deliver modern day library services that meet community needs. And library policies and practices must be reviewed, evaluated, and rewritten to be more inclusive and equitable for everyone. Our library policies and practices must never stand in the way of improvement and positive change.

There are opportunities for libraries to partner with other city, county, and state agencies to provide effective services to the communities they serve, including agencies involved with education, social services, and sustainability. Establishing strong connections with agencies and organizations that share similar missions and goals can be extremely beneficial and enable libraries to do even more through shared resources.

In this role I would have a broad view of public libraries in California – one where each library can be unique and meet local community needs, but also take advantage of intrinsic values and attributes that all libraries share. I believe that by working together on a broad and statewide level through CLA to raise awareness, share resources, and advocate with one voice can make all California libraries stronger.