Section: Columns

From the President: ALCTS Annual Report, 2018–2019

Columns, From the President

This report represents a summary of the activities of the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), during the 2018–2019 year. Working in libraries of all sizes and types, ALCTS represents a specialized community of functional experts and leaders in acquisitions, cataloging and metadata, collection management, electronic and continuing resources, and preservation. While our engaged members lead the way in developing standards and best practices for creating, identifying, selecting, acquiring, organizing, managing, and preserving recorded knowledge in all formats, we also recognize that both the profession and the American Library Association as a larger entity are changing, and that ALCTS needs to continue to grow and evolve. This annual report includes a summary of the association’s activities for the 2018–2019 year, and plans for the future.

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My Emerging Leader Experience: Abigail Sparling

ALA Annual Conference, Columns, Conference News, My ALCTS Experience

2018–2019 has been the year of raising my hand and finding my professional home in ALCTS. My first ALA Annual Conference was in 2018, where I attended an amazing session put on by the ALCTS Electronic Resources Interest Group. Motivated by the speakers, I stayed for the business meeting after the session and found myself volunteering to co-chair the interest group. It wasn’t long after that I learned about the ALA Emerging Leaders Program. The program seemed like the perfect opportunity to learn more about the structure and governance of ALA and my potential place within it. I was delighted and honored to be named the 2019 ALCTS Emerging Leader.

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My ALCTS Experience: Shelby Strommer

ALA Annual Conference, Columns, Conference News, My ALCTS Experience

In June 2019 I had the opportunity to attend the ALA Annual Conference as a recipient of the Jan Merrill-Oldham Development Grant. In recognition of Jan Merrill-Oldham’s commitment to preservation education and mentorship, the grant provides early-career preservation practitioners an opportunity to further their professional development by attending the Annual Conference. I was honored to receive this award and thrilled to have the opportunity to find ideas and inspiration to help me serve as an effective steward of our library collections and an effective mentor to my student employees.

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From the President: A Roller Coaster Year for ALCTS

Columns, From the President

For ALCTS 2018–2019 turned out to be a roller coaster of a year. We entered the year with definitive Board votes to devote time and resources toward exploring a new division, joining with the Library Information Technology Association (LITA) and the Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA). Although we devoted significant time and resources toward a new division in the fall, we were unable to get all of our goals accomplished in time for our respective Boards to make a decision whether to bring the new division before the membership. We instituted a project pause, to give all the Steering Committee (made of leadership of the three divisions) a chance to think, reflect, and determine the best course of action for the future. I am very pleased that after a moment of collective breath-taking, we have resumed work on developing a new ALA division.

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From the President: ALA Annual 2019 in Washington, DC

ALA Annual Conference, Columns, Conference News, From the President

After a cool and wet spring, it’s hard to believe that summer is arriving, but yet here we are just a week and half away from the ALA Annual Conference, starting on June 20. Washington, DC always offers unparalleled opportunities to explore our government institutions and national treasures, often for no cost at all. This summer ALCTS will add to the cultural riches of our nation’s capital by offering conference attendees a wealth of programs and learning opportunities during Annual Conference.

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