Migell Acosta, San Diego County Library
Candidate for President-Elect
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Candidates for President-Elect
Candidates for Director At-large (2 positions open)
Candidate for Student Representative (1 position available)
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Biography
My name is Migell Acosta, and I am the director of San Diego County Library. My career opportunities and experience include library innovation, leadership, and stewardship. I have been serving as Director of the San
Diego County Library since September 2016. Prior to my current role, I served as Assistant Director and Chief Information Officer for the County of Los Angeles Library. Before that, I worked for Santa Monica Library
for ten years and the RAND Corporation before that.
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Our County Library is the first in the State to be certified by the Sustainable Libraries Initiative and we were also recognized by the Institute for Museum & Library Services as a finalist for their National Medal. Our Library High
School program has more than 180 graduates. We have also built a free toolkit for all public libraries available at KindergartenGearUp.org. Our expert staff and partners created the website for all library workers as an all-inclusive
resource for early childhood programming.
The San Diego County Library has thirty-three library branches and serves eleven incorporated communities in the County. Please visit sdcl.org for more information.
I earned my Master of Library and Information Science from UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. I also hold a B.A. in Psychology from UCLA College of Letters and Science.
How do you define Leadership?
Leadership depends on a collection of skills and traits such as listening, empathy, curiosity, humility, innovative thinking, developing strategy, creating trust, etc. – all of
which need continuous development. A worthy leader, I think, forms a deep understanding of the needs of their organization, staff, and customers and applies (or acquires in themselves or their team) the skills and traits to advance their
organization’s mission, goals, and positive impacts.
Why are you interested in this position?
The San Diego County Library has a mix of large urban library branches serving populations of 40-60K, smaller
quasi-rural libraries serving populations of 10-20K and small rural library branches serving communities of 500-1.5K residents. I believe serving this variety of communities give me insights and experiences I can leverage to help the great
variety of libraries in California.
How would you describe your personal leadership communication style?
I try to communicate in such a way that I’m sharing not just the immediate message and information
I’m trying to describe, but also the broader context, audience, and strategic goals around the message. I also try to listen more than speak and fully absorb what our staff, customers, and stakeholders are trying to communicate.
What strengths would you bring to the position?
My three primary strengths are thinking creatively, natural enthusiasm for our shared mission, and implementing innovative technical/digital services. Also, because
I have served in two of California’s largest counties, I have lots of experience collaborating with County and nongovernmental agencies to convene and provide multiple services to the communities we jointly serve.
What issues or trends are particularly informing your work at this time?
Our County Library is focused on several areas and responding to several trends, including: responding to climate change by converting to a zero carbon library; responding to the need for greater equity in library service by providing
services beyond the branch which recognizes that some residents don’t have the time and transportation to visit a library branch; and helping staff mitigate workplace stress and support the staff’s professional development.
Who were the thought leaders (in libraries were in other fields) who interest you?
I’ve been extremely fortunate to have supported strong, thoughtful library directors in each of the libraries I’ve worked for. Each one had skills and competencies that I greatly admired, and they all were very patient with me asking
questions of them and thereby increasing my own knowledge. Perhaps more importantly, when I made mistakes, they gave me room to learn, correct, and try again!
Who are the regional and statewide stakeholders’ libraries need to be in communication with? Our stakeholders will of course vary by library type and the region or populations we serve. In general, our stakeholders include our
customers and staff, most immediately. Also highly important are the senior leadership of our parent institutions, including elected or appointed officers and our library boards and commissions. We should also communicate with the State’s
legislature and the Governor’s office. I think the State Library has been very successful in this regard, so it helps to share our stories with the State Library, so they have meaningful and positive anecdotes to share.
Describe your experience serving on association committees and/or interest groups.
I am one of the current co-chairs of CLA’s Advocacy & Legislative Committee. Our committee works with CLA’s lobbyists to provide input on the work of the state’s legislative bodies that will have direct and indirect impacts on California’s
libraries. Guided by CLA’s registered lobbyist and joined by our co-chair and committee members, I have worked directly with our State Legislators to refine proposed legislation with direct impact on California’s public libraries.
Describe your network of connections with library professionals and library stakeholders in California.
I was the past president of the California County Libraries Association, so I feel my awareness of library
issues and concerns is much wider than the region I serve. For those not aware, the State Library has been convening California’s public library directors for a monthly forum since the beginning of the pandemic, so I think we all have
heightened awareness of each other’s challenges – and solutions to share with each other.
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