Get ready to vote! The YALSA election runs from March 19 through April 25, and to help you be an informed voter, we’re sharing interviews with each of the 2014 YALSA Governance candidates.
We will start with the candidates for Board Director-at-large. YALSA Board members serve three-year terms, during which they jointly determine YALSA’s policies, programs, and strategic direction, in accordance with YALSA’s bylaws. They attend both virtual and in-person meetings and serve as liaisons to YALSA’s committee chairs and members. A full description of Board duties and responsibilities can be found here.
Candidates, who will be presented in alphabetical order, were asked to craft “Twitter-length” responses (i.e. around 140 characters). Full biographical information on all of the candidates can be found on the sample ballot.
Today we have an interview with‘ Gretchen Kolderup.
Name and current position:‘ Gretchen Kolderup,Manager for YA Education & Engagement @ New York Public Library.
Why did you decide to run for a YALSA office? What excites you about serving on YALSA Board? ‘
I’m jazzed about the opportunity to to dig into the work of our association with others who care deeply about library services for teens!
What areas of YALSA’s Strategic Plan do you think you can best contribute to? Why?’
Member recruitment/engagement. My YALSA experience has been so meaningful; I love sharing that & helping others hook in to the association!
What is the most pressing issue facing YALSA today?
Remaining relevant and effective to its members as well as financially stable as our profession continues to change.
What priority activities should YALSA take on to address the “paradigm shift” as described in The Future of Library Services for and with Teens report?
Sounds silly, but: help ppl feel comfortable getting out of comfort zones. Report shows evolution’s necessary & good, but change can be scary.
What attributes have helped you succeed professionally?
Determination, creativity, collaborative leadership style. Learned from building YA svcs from scratch in my first job & leading The Hub!
What do you see as the primary role of the Board?
Board fulfills YALSA’s mission to expand & strengthen teen services. Should help members in the now & advocate for members’ futures.
If elected, how will you help YALSA members (in their daily work, in their careers, other)?
Provide practical tools (like YALSA’s Pub Lib Eval Tool), create opps to recognize & share best ideas, advocate for teen services nationwide.
What else would you like voters to know about you?
Whether I’m elected or not, I’m interested in helping us all become even more stellar librarians for teens. Always up to collaborate or chat!
