Hello everyone,
YALSA members voted in the spring 2019 elections to change the number of directors-at-large from seven to six and to create an Ex-Officio Advocacy position. This position will be held by someone who is not yet a YALSA member, but advocates for teens in their role working for an institution, a non-profit, a for-profit venture, or as a volunteer, among other capacities. Current or former employment in a library is neither required nor is it a disqualification; however, the intent is to encourage a person with a perspective outside the library realm to join the Board. At the 2019 Annual meeting in Washington DC, the Board decided to fill this seat by an application process followed by Board appointment, similar to that of the ALA Liaison and Board Fellow processes.
Some of the rationale in creating this position included:
● The inclusion of an advocate who works beyond the library teen services space can bring a unique perspective and help broaden the organization’s outlook on serving youth
● A more diverse Board can strengthen its capacity by bringing in relevant skills or knowledge from beyond the library community
● By including advocates on the Board, YALSA is modeling the behavior it wants members to adopt at the local level in terms of reaching out into the community to forge partnerships that increase their ability to meet teen needs
This ex-officio Board member will serve a 1-year term, with the potential to renew for a second 1-year term. This person would begin service after the ALA Annual 2020 Conference in Chicago. A focus we are considering for this position is to be a point person for National Library Legislative Day (from 2021 on). No prior library experience or familiarity with libraries or YALSA is required for this position.
If you are interested in applying, or know of an excellent candidate for this position, please contact Letitia Smith in the YALSA office. If you have any questions about what this position may entail, eligibility or other procedural questions, feel free to contact me. While not exactly aligned, a template for service in this role can be found on the YALSA Board Fellow program page.
Thanks!
Todd Krueger, YALSA President 2019-2020 | Twitter: @toddbcpl
