Posting as a personal member of ALA. I have worked with Peter, he is very dedicated to ALA, and he does a lot of work within the association already. I support his bid for ALA President. And for what its worth, his husband is from Escanaba! -Steve ________________________________ From: ALA on behalf of Peter Hepburn (ala@ala.org) <ala@ala.org> Sent: Thursday, March 8, 2018 3:10 PM To: Steven Bowers Subject: Vote Peter Hepburn for ALA President [Peter for ALA logo and headshot] <http://ala.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT03NDM0NTUzJnA9MSZ1PTEwMDc0MTgzODUmbGk9NTI2MDE5OTY/index.html> https://www.peterforala.org Hello! I’m Peter Hepburn, Head Librarian at the College of the Canyons, a community college in Los Angeles County. I’m asking for your vote for the 2019-2020 ALA Presidency. Let me tell you why. WHAT ALA NEEDS STABILITY: With a new executive director to be hired and in place by the end of the 2019-2020 presidential term, ALA will undergo a dramatic change. For a new ALA executive director, there will be a steep learning curve and a need for a capable partner in the president. Being able to draw on the president’s wealth of hands-on experience across ALA’s roundtables, divisions, committees, and governance will put the new executive director on solid footing for a successful career within ALA. I have that experience to share. We also must not lose sight that we are operating in a broader context of national political and social uncertainty that, among other things, affects users of our libraries in profound ways. ALA needs to navigate this environment carefully to ensure support for libraries and for policies that relate to the values that matter to us as an association. Knowledgeable leadership for the association will be essential to this work. SUSTAINABILITY: ALA is not an association in crisis, but we do face challenges to association sustainability and growth. Membership fluctuates but has retreated from its peak several years ago. Conference attendance has trended downward, and publishing has not met revenue targets for some time now. On the plus side, the endowment continues to grow, facilitated by fundraising initiatives from our Development Office. ALA’s reputation is solid, and lawmakers in DC express respect for our association. As your president, I will encourage our successes and work with the Executive Board, Council, as well as the divisions and round tables on strategies to address concerns in the areas where we face challenges. WHAT I CAN OFFER My work in libraries stretches back over twenty years and encompasses public, research, and academic libraries. My ALA career has most recently included a term on the ALA Executive Board and appointment to the Budget Analysis and Review Committee (BARC), but also election to Council, conference committee work, and other financial committee work. My roots within ALA are even deeper. I have found a home in the round tables, especially the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table, and in ACRL on the divisional side. I belong to several round tables and divisions, and have done board and committee work in some of them. My history of experience and involvement within ALA gives me deep understanding of the association as a whole, an overview of how the pieces fit together and work. My website, www.peterforala.org<http://ala.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT03NDM0NTUzJnA9MSZ1PTEwMDc0MTgzODUmbGk9NTI2MDE5OTc/index.html>, includes a full overview of my ALA and other professional experience. MY COMMITMENT TO ALA My vision for ALA is one of organizational stability, sustainability, and even growth. In the presidential year, I will ensure that important work within ALA, such as addressing matters of equity, diversity, and inclusion and the work of the Task Force on Sustainability, is supported and comes to fruition rather than putting forward a new presidential initiative. As an active and engaged ALA member for the past 18 years, I have a firm grasp of the critical issues that face our association and our libraries, and a clear vision of what ALA needs from its president. My time in the association has shown me that any ALA president must be able to address a variety of issues. I offer ALA the deep and wide-ranging experience in the association that lends itself to the work that needs doing. My networks within the association are broad, and my understanding of the structure and governance of ALA is sound. I am keen that ALA flourish through the years ahead, and that my presidency will build the foundation needed to ensure a strong American Library Association for the future. I am eager to work for you, for libraries, and for our library users, for this association. I ask for your vote for the 2019-2020 ALA Presidency. [ALA American Library Association] American Library Association (ALA), 50 E. Huron, Chicago, IL 60611 www.ala.org<http://ala.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT03NDM0NTUzJnA9MSZ1PTEwMDc0MTgzODUmbGk9NTI2MDIwMDE/index.html> <http://ala.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT03NDM0NTUzJnA9MSZ1PTEwMDc0MTgzODUmbGk9NTI2MDIwMDI/index.html>