Stacey Aldrich
At the Wyoming State Library, we’re always interested in what other state libraries are doing. One of the candidates for the 2022-23 presidency of the American Library Association (ALA) is Stacey A. Aldrich, State Librarian, Hawaii State Public Library System, headquartered in Honolulu.
“I became a librarian because I believe that libraries are the keepers of our collective stories and places of opportunity and hope in the communities we serve,” said Aldrich. “We’re dedicated to the success of each person who walks through our physical or virtual doors.”
State library agencies provide a wide variety of services to support library services in their respective states. Every other year, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) conducts the State Library Administrative Agencies (SLAA) Survey, which collects financial, staffing, and service information from every SLAA in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The fiscal year 2018 report details how SLAAs support their libraries through services to libraries and library cooperatives, program assistance, operational assistance, and the coordination and integration of library services.
Aldrich brings that statewide perspective to the ballot, in addition to her perspective from long-time involvement in ALA. Currently she serves on the ALA Center for the Future of Libraries Advisory Group and ALA President-Elect Patty Wong’s Presidential Advisory Committee. Among other leadership roles she’s held, Aldrich is a past president of the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies.
“The American Library Association is our special place,” she said. “It is where our profession comes together to build relationships, learn, advocate, and create the future.”