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Genesis Hansen

Genesis Hansen, Mission Viejo Library

Candidate for Member at Large

 

 

Candidate for President-Elect

Candidate for Secretary

Candidates for Member at Large
Genesis Handen

Tell us about your background and what made you want to run for the Board of the California Library Association?

I’ve been the Director of the Mission Viejo Library since 2014. I have a passion for public service, leadership development, and libraries as partners in our communities’ success. I’ve worked with Mission Viejo staff to expand library services and capacity through grant funding, enabling expansion of early literacy programs and services, technology, local history, teen services, disability needs assessment and more. For the past year I’ve worked with community members and City of Mission Viejo staff to launch a Diversity & Inclusion Task Force in Mission Viejo, a partnership between residents, local


businesses and nonprofits, and City staff. I care deeply about our profession and the work we do in our communities, and I care deeply about CLA and its role in supporting and furthering that work. I believe CLA plays a vital role in leadership development, knowledge sharing, networking, and advocacy for libraries and library staff in California, and I think it’s crucial that CLA continues to adapt and improve as an organization to serve our library community and profession far into the future. I want to be a part of that process.

What experience do you have that will serve you while completing your three-year term?

I have been involved in CLA in a variety of capacities over the years, including serving on the Board from 2016 – 2019, and in 2021 to fill the position vacated by Chris Brown; Leadership Development Committee; 3 times on Conference Program Committee; and Conference Sponsorship Chair. I also helped develop and lead CLA’s grant-funded program Developing Leaders for California Libraries. I was a Eureka! Leadership Institute Fellow in 2008, a mentor in 2010 and 2014, and served on the Infopeople Advisory Board. I am committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and am working on DEI efforts in my local community and bring that commitment to CLA as well.

What is the most important thing the Board of the California Library Association should do in the next three years, and how will you contribute?

I think we need to focus on the sustainability of the organization and the profession. That encompasses developing new revenue streams to maintain financial viability, as well as examining everything we do through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion because I don’t believe we can meet our mission of providing “leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library services, librarianship and the library community” without working to dismantle inequitable systems.

What has the California Library Association accomplished during the pandemic that should continue, and how will you help make that happen?

I think pivoting on short notice to a completely online conference and executing it successfully was a huge accomplishment and a tremendous learning experience for CLA. Overall the conference was very well-received and it provided critical revenue for CLA during the pandemic. I believe taking what we learned from that conference, in terms of logistics, accessibility, and financial management, will help CLA continue to provide conferences that are meaningful and valuable to attendees, and to make them much more widely accessible and inclusive.