Ziba Perez, Los Angeles Public Library

Candidate for Board Member at Large

Candidate for President-Elect

• Gary Shaffer
  

Candidate for Secretary

• Shawn M. Thrasher

Candidates for Member at Large

• Anthony Chow
• Crystal Duran
• Heather Daniels Firchow
• Genesis Hansen
• David McFadden
• Rosemart Medina
• Ziba Perez

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

I'm currently co-chair of the California Library Association's John and Patricia Beatty Award Committee. I was recently a member of the CLA Conference Planning Programming Committee and co-chair of the CLA Latino Services Interest Group. I am now interested in the office of board member at large to expand on my CLA experiences and give back to the board statewide.

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

In local politics I've been elected to the board of governors for the Echo Park Neighborhood Council in the city of Los Angeles where I live for a two year term that ended this past April 2021. These two years of Neighborhood Council Board experience will serve me greatly while completing my three year term on the CLA Board. The Echo Park Board of Governors had monthly board meetings online as well as multiple committee meetings where I was co-chair of our Outreach Committee and planned public events for civic engagement.

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?

The Board of the California Library Association in the next three years should work harder on reaching their non-English speaking library patrons/potential library patrons with targeted marketing, collection development, and programming. As a member of the Los Angeles Chapter of REFORMA (The National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking) and with parents born from non-English speaking countries (Iran and Mexico) I hope to bring awareness and action to this inclusive outreach initiative.

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

The California Library Association accomplished putting on a successful virtual CLA conference during the pandemic (including book award ceremonies) bringing awareness to the Beatty Award, among other awards, that were previously available to attend only in person at a ticketed afternoon tea event. As we return to in person CLA conferences, I believe we should keep an online aspect for those that are unable to travel and could benefit from the information provided in these in person events.