PLA Election Results 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 2002
FROM: KATHLEEN HUGHES
PLA COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
312-280-4028
Luis Herrera, director, Pasadena Public Library, Pasadena, California, has been elected PLA vice-president/president-elect for 2003/2004. In this office he follows Jo Ann Pinder, Gwinnett County Public Library, Georgia, who becomes PLA president effective with the close of the 2002 Annual Conference.
Also elected to the PLA Board were the following PLA Cluster representatives:
Issues and Concerns Cluster Steering Committee
Donna Joy Burke
Florence Simkins Brown
Library Development Cluster Steering Committee
Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin
Gertiana Williams Library Services
Cluster Steering Committee
Yvonne Chen
Carol Simmons
In addition, Christine Lind Hage was elected PLA Councilor.
PLA congratulates these successful candidates elected to serve in PLA offices. For more information, please contact the PLA office at pla@ala.org or 800-545-2433, ext. 5752.
Public Library Association Membership Tops 10,000
Toni Garvey, President of the Public Library Association (PLA) expressed her thanks to all PLA members on the release of the latest membership figures. PLA, as of March 31, 2001,has 10,050 members, the largest membership in the association's history. PLA is the second largest division of the American Library Association. The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) is largest with 10,741 members, followed by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) with 8,706. "I'd like to thank every new member and every renewing member. We are an essential and vibrant organization, and we couldn't do our important work without all of you," said Garvey. The boost in membership figures can be attributed to PLA's recent conference, which boasted record-breaking attendance figures. PLA is a division of the American Library Association.
New PLA Products Aid Recruitment Efforts
The Public Library Association has developed a number of products to aid in the ongoing effort to recruit public librarians into the profession. The association has developed a comprehensive recruitment website (www.pla.org) that contains testimonials from real-life librarians on why they chose public librarianship; educational requirements; scholarships information and links; salary data and other resources; and an informative look at the public library world entitled "public library fast facts." In addition to the website, colorful "Ask me why I love my job" buttons are available for .25 each and brochures entitled "Public Librarianship: Imagine the Possibilities" are available for free. The order form for the buttons and brochures (credit cards only) is available at www.pla.org/projects/button.html or call PLA at 800-545-2433, ext. 5PLA to place a telephone order. PLA also will present a program at the upcoming ALA Annual Conference that will address the shortage of public librarians and detail current recruitment efforts. "Where Have All the Librarians Gone - Strategies for Recruiting and Retaining Them" will be held on Sunday, June 16, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. For more information visit the PLA web page at www.pla.org. PLA is a division of the American Library Association.