It was about a year ago that the puzzle pieces of reunification started to appear. It was a difficult choice; therefore, it will always be a difficult topic for me to discuss. I hoped that by moving forward with unification, we could sustainably recapture the essence of YALSA.
I am happy to say that progress has been made in preserving the essence of YALSA.
First, a recap of all the activities that have been taking place regarding membership.
• All current YALSA members will become ALSC members.
• There is a current discussion around troubleshooting the “short-term” members. These are the YALSA members whose memberships will expire within months of reunification. ALA staff are discovering what is possible, fair, and doable given our technology/accounting constraints.
• Membership privileges have already started to overlap, with member discounts for ALSC and YALSA continuing education.
Next – The bad news: Bylaws don’t bend.
ByLaws state that you must be a member of either division to vote and/or take on a leadership role. This means that individuals who have dual membership are currently at an advantage. This is the pool of candidates that is being taped for leadership roles and who voted in the recent election. Everyone acknowledges that this is not an ideal situation. This is a demonstration of the great lengths everyone involved is incorporating YALSA voice.
2026-207 Committee Hack
If you’re interested in a 2026-2027 committee, complete the volunteer form – we’re forwarding the information to the ALSC appointments team. Every effort will be made to match you with a comparable committee post-reunification.
Good News – As Rob stated in his blog post to ALSC members, the new board does have some Teen/YALSA voice, which will hopefully elevate some of the concerns for YALSA members:
The incoming President-Elect of the division is Danielle Jones, who has been an active member of both ALSC and YALSA for many years. In her candidate statements she noted, “We are at a critical juncture with the planned reunification of ALSC and YALSA. My active involvement in both gives me a unique perspective and commitment to ensuring a successful transition, prioritizing both children and teens and the professionals who serve them.”
The new Board members joining Danielle will be Heather Love Beverley, Deadra (Dee) O. Brown, and Renee Ting, all of whom bring a fantastic mix of children’s and teen services experience to their upcoming new roles. We are excited to see the new Board of the unified division working together to meet the needs of our combined membership (as of Sept. 1, 2026).
There’s more good news involving the YMAs and conferences! Read all about it here.
In brief:
• This year’s ALSC National Institute will feature a one-day Teen Service Development Day.
• 2028 will feature a new annual conference with youth and teen offerings leading up to the YMAs.
• Chicago will host all events during the next few transition years.
In the next few weeks, more blog posts will go into some of the specifics and background activities of the past few months.
Feeling Optimistic,
Yvette Garcia, your past-president
