President’s Report

Posted on March 31, 2026 by anitaslack
Paul Campbell, ALAO President

Happy spring, ALAO! I hope that your semesters are going well and that you are enjoying the warmer weather.

This past fall, the ALAO Board passed the updated our Strategic Plan for 2025-2030. I am happy to report that we are making progress toward this new strategic plan. I continue my work on Focus Area 3: Stewardship & Development. I am particularly interested in ensuring that our existing IGs and committees have the membership needed to thrive. I hope you will consider serving in some capacity within ALAO. I encourage anyone interested in serving within ALAO to reach out to me (president@alaoweb.org) or Sara Klink (pastpresident@alaoweb.org) for further information. 

Sustainability

One of key points of our Mission Statement is a commitment to sustainability.  To live up to this commitment, ALAO has partnered with the Sustainable Libraries Initiative (SLI) for 2026.  With this agreement, ALAO members can request a free 12-month access to the SLI “members only” recourses including their Roadmap to Sustainability, discounted or free eCourse content on Sustainability, and on-demand webinars. Additionally, this agreement includes a discounted rate for their Sustainable Library Certification program. 

I would like to thank Mandi Goodsett and Megan Jaskowiak for their work in getting this agreement together.  I look forward to working with Mandi and Megan in the next several months in promoting four separate webinars from SLI for our members to learn about the Initiative and how they can implement sustainable practices within their own libraries.   

Committee Changes

In the February, the ALAO Board unanimously passed a proposal put forward by Brea McQueen & Beronica Avila that would combine the position of Advocacy Chair with the Diversity Committee. This proposal noted that the responsibilities of the Advocacy Chair and the Diversity Committee significantly overlapped and suggested that combining their efforts within a single committee would be more effective.

Given the current political environment, this change removes language viewed as being controversial and helps eliminate some of the barriers to participating in this important work. Some ALAO members are in more vulnerable positions and institutions than others, and ALAO is committed to eliminating as many barriers as possible while still preserving the work of supporting and advocating for all our members and the patrons we serve. 

ACRL 2031

Columbus, Ohio is currently under strong consideration as the host city for ACRL 2031. With Ohio’s award-winning library systems, strong library consortia, and an exceptional ALAO membership, I believe Columbus would make an outstanding host city for ACRL. Additionally, being steps away from the Columbus Convention Center, the Short North Arts District offers wonderful assortment of venues where ACRL attendees can socialize and enjoy the city’s vibrant arts, dining, and entertainment scene.

To say the least, I am very excited about this possibility! As President of ALAO, I have been asked to submit a letter of support to the ACRL Site Selection Committee. I plan to ask the ALAO Board to endorse this letter at the March 20, 2026 Board meeting.

Posted in Vol. 45 no. 1 (March 2026) | Tagged | Leave a comment

Past President’s Report

Posted on March 31, 2026 by anitaslack

ALAO Board Elections 2026

Sara Klink, Past President

Along with my nominating committee, I have been working on securing nominations for the 2026 ALAO ballot! We fully realize that many of our colleagues are tackling multiple roles at their institutions which makes those willing to commit to a volunteer position so much more appreciated. 

The initial call for nominations to the membership ran from February into March and our 2026 election will be held in April. This year the way positions lined up we were looking to fill almost every board position in addition to our appointed positions and many of our committee and Interest Group Chairs. 

We happily secured commitments from very qualified candidates to run for the following positions,

Vice President/President Elect:
Abi Morgan, Social Sciences Librarian, Miami University

Mira Scarnecchia, OER Librarian, Columbus State Community College

Secretary:
Marsha Miles, Assistant Director for Collections and Resource Management, Cleveland State University

Treasurer:
Don Appleby, Library Specialist, University of Akron

Board Member-at-Large (3 positions)

  • Melissa Bauer, Interim Library Coordinator and Online Learning Librarian, Kent State University
  • Stephanie Founds, FYE Specialist, Ohio State University
  • Emily Henderson, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Columbus State Community College
  • Miriam Intrator, Head of Archives and Special Collection and Rare Book Librarian, Ohio University

Membership Chair
Laura Birkenhauer, Student Success Librarian for Campus Engagement, Miami University

Thanks to all the wonderful nominees for your willingness to commit to ALAO, despite your busy schedules! It’s a cliché but without folks like you, there is no organization.

The ballot and candidate information can be viewed at beginning April 1st: ALAO 2024 Elections page

Our sincere thanks to the candidates for their willingness to run for and serve in these positions!

If you are interested in learning more about remaining open positions both elected and non-elected please reach out to me at pastpresident@alaoweb.org We have many wonderful volunteer opportunities ranging from roles that require no previous ALAO experience to roles that take on a larger leadership commitment. We can’t keep this organization going without filling these positions.

Be on the lookout for the ballot opening announcement later this month, and be sure to renew your ALAO membership if it has lapsed.  You must be an active member to vote in the 2026 elections. 

ALAO Member Opportunities 

And finally, if you are looking for professional development opportunities our neighboring state organization, the Michigan Academic Library Association (MiALA) is hosting its annual conference May 6th through the 8th. As ALAO members you are able to register using the member rate through our ALAO-MiALA reciprocal agreement. Just another perk to being an ALAO member!

Posted in Vol. 45 no. 1 (March 2026) | Tagged | Leave a comment

Member Spotlight

Posted on March 31, 2026 by anitaslack

Let’s shine the Member Spotlight on Nicole Martin from Cuyahoga Community College!

What is/are your role(s) in academic libraries?

I am an Adjunct Faculty Librarian with Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C), dividing my time between the Westshore Campus Library and Metropolitan Campus Library. In my role I assist students with research and locating materials at our reference desk, as well as through our online chat and email, manage a portion of the Metro Library’s liberal arts and humanities collection, assist with leading information literacy classes, and support the Faculty Librarians work however I can.

What do you like most about academic library work?

I love connecting with the students and helping them to feel confident in their academic abilities!  As a first-generation college student myself I know how intimidating college can be, so I enjoy helping to create a welcoming, supportive, and safe learning space where students feel they belong. It is a delight to be part of an institution where intellectual curiosity and life-long learning are so highly valued.

What are some interesting projects you’ve been involved with lately?

I am helping support some great upcoming wellness events for students this spring, including a campus-wide Wellness Fair and our bi-annual Stress Less for Success week programming which occurs the week before finals. These student engagement opportunities are a fun way to connect with students in a new way outside of the library or classroom. I am also really excited to be starting this year as a new member of the ALA Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table Addressing Comics Censorship Committee. This committee works to help library workers prepare for and address bans, challenges, and other forms of censorship to comics and graphic novels in libraries and I am looking forward to being involved in supporting intellectual freedom initiatives.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself.

I am an unabashed horror nerd. I love reading spooky and weird fiction, watching horror films, and listening to horror media podcasts. I’m currently a part-time graduate student with Ohio University, working towards my Master’s in English, and I hope to incorporate my appreciation for this genre into my master’s essay.

Why did you join ALAO?

I spent over ten years working as a public librarian before redirecting my focus to academic librarianship, a career shift I had been interested in exploring for years, so I joined ALAO as a way to learn more about the academic libraries of Ohio, to network with experienced academic librarians, and to participate in ALAO’s professional development opportunities.

–Laura Birkenhauer, Membership Chair, Miami University

Posted in Vol. 45 no. 1 (March 2026) | Tagged | Leave a comment

Membership Report

Posted on March 31, 2026 by anitaslack

The current membership of ALAO includes a total of 278 members consisting of 231 regular members, 6 retiree members, and 41 student members. We are excited to welcome new members who joined between November 25, 2025 and March 4, 2026.

Marcie Boutwell, Miami University

Ken Burhanna, Kent State University

Eden Davis, The Ohio State University

Katie Gable, College of Wooster

Natalie Gut, University of Dayton

Deidra Herring, Ohio State University

Annie Malady, Case Western Reserve University

Bethany Spencer, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College

Jill Spreitzer, University of Detroit Mercy     

Leah Tabler, Miami University Regionals

–Laura Birkenhauer, Membership Chair, Miami University

Posted in Vol. 45 no. 1 (March 2026) | Tagged | Leave a comment

Interest Groups News

Posted on March 31, 2026 by anitaslack

ALAO 2026 Innovative Instruction Showcase

The Instruction and STEM interest groups of the Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) are excited to announce an online instruction showcase this spring. This will consist of a variety of short lighting talks of 7-10 minutes each.

The event will be held on Wednesday, May 13th, from 2pm – 4pm (EST). Stay tuned for the Zoom link.

Our theme is instruction in a very broad sense. We welcome proposals that encompass innovative ideas on a variety of tools and/or topics, including but not limited to:

  • different subject areas
  • teaching and/or learning styles
  • lesson plans or planning
  • self care for instructors
  • distance learning
  • asynchronous learning materials

Proposals that address STEM instruction, distance learning, and/or current issues are particularly encouraged. 

This is a community-driven event, so we want to hear from you. What do you have to share about instruction? We’d love to hear from schools of all sizes, any subject area, those who teach in-person or through distance learning. We welcome ideas great or small in this relaxed atmosphere for library instructors to connect and share ideas.

Presenters do not need to be members of ALAO or work in the state of Ohio. 

Proposals will be accepted through March 31st. Review will take place through April 10th, and notices sent soon after. Proposals can be submitted through this form (https://bit.ly/ALAOShowcase26).


For questions please contact the Instruction or STEM Interest Group Co-chairs at stemig-chairs@alaoweb.org and iig-chairs@alaoweb.org.

–Kristen Adams, STEM IG Co-Chair, Miami University
–Nathanael Davis, STEM IG Co-Chair, Cedarville University
–Tamia Jackson, Instruction IG Co-Chair, Miami University
–Liz Grauel, Instruction IG Co-Chair, University of Dayton

Programming, Outreach and Marketing Interest Group (PROMIG) News

Here is the latest news on activities from the promotion/marketing/outreach interest group:

Check out the latest Resource Roundup for a selection of relevant articles, webinars, CFPs, meetings, and more related to programming, outreach, and marketing. We welcome your contributions to the Roundup–just send an email to promig-chairs@alaoweb.org.

PROMIG’s first Community Chat “Wisdom for Social Media Managers in Academic Libraries: Lessons in Strategy, Engagement, Content Creation and More” was held on January 8, and featured Tanner Lewey, social media manager for libraries and higher education institutions. Tanner emphasized making human connections and finding and using elements unique to your library. If you missed the event or would like a recap, here is a link to a recording (pass code: Aqbb!2?6)

PROMIG’s second Community Chat for 2026 featured Katie Rose, Events Coordinator for the University of Toledo Libraries, who shared her processes for creating and publicizing library events. Katie talked about the tools she uses for scheduling and communications, how she manages event spaces, and discussed opportunities for collaboration. Notes from the event can be accessed here.

As always, thank you to all who attend PROMIG events. If you are interested in joining PROMIG, have ideas for programming, or would like to know more about our activities, contact us at promig-chairs@alaoweb.org.

We hope to see you at the next PROMIG event!

–Laura Birkenhauer, PROMIG Co-Chair, Miami University
–Jerry Natal, PROMIG Co-Chair, University of Toledo

SCAig and TEDSIG to Co-host Virtual Spring Event

Friday, April 24, 2026, 2:30pm – 4:00pm EST

How are ALAO members enabling users and reference/research staff to discover special collections, rare books, and archives materials following OhioLINK’s LSP migration? Join ALAO Interest Groups SCAig (Special Collections and Archives Interest Group) and TEDSIG (Technical, Electronic, and Digital Services Interest Group) for an informal “coffee chat” panel discussion. Three panelists will speak to different aspects of the prompt, and there will be ample time for Q&A and group discussion.

Crissandra George
Digital Collections Librarian, Case Western Reserve University
Migrating digitized collections to Alma’s Specto

Eve Kausch
Outreach Librarian for Special Collections & Archives, Kenyon College
Discovery tutorials for users

Tim Keller
Head,Discovery and Metadata Services, Oberlin College
Troubleshooting bound-with records and EAD-MARC conversions

Don’t miss this opportunity to gather with colleagues from special collections, archives and technical services to learn from changing and continuing practices. We hope this event will build supportive networks for the diverse professionals stewarding and fostering engagement with special collections and archives of academic libraries. We hope to see you there!

This event is free, but registration is required at: https://cwru.zoom.us/meeting/register/WAQaYaYsTTqoxy-TsOcrpQ

Sustainability Interest Group (SusIG)

SUSIG is very pleased to announce that ALAO has officially established a partnership with the Sustainable Libraries Initiative. Among the benefits of this partnership for ALAO members is free individual membership to the SLI, a 20% discount on SLI Certification, and a 25% discount if 5 or more libraries work through SLI certification as a cohort. In return, ALAO will share information about SLI with our members and work with SLI to provide training opportunities about sustainability in libraries. More details about this opportunity will be forthcoming!

–Mandi Goodsett, SUSIG Co-Chair, Cleveland State University
–Megan Jaskowiak, SUSIG Co-Chair, Miami University

Technical, Electronic & Digital Services (TEDSIG) Interest Group News

TEDSIG is jointly hosting a Virtual Coffee Chat on Friday, April 24, 2026 with SCAig. Please see the SACig update for details. We always welcome ideas from TEDSIG members about the group and possible activities (tedsig-chairs@alaoweb.org).

–Mike Monaco, TEDSIG Co-Chair, The University of Akron
–Rebecca Belford, TEDSIG Co-Chair, Oberlin College

Posted in Vol. 45 no. 1 (March 2026) | Tagged | Leave a comment

People & Library News

Posted on March 25, 2026 by anitaslack

Bryant & Stratton College News

As of February 2026, we have begun implementing BIBFRAME/linked data functionality (via EBSCO Bibliograph) to enhance access to our electronic collection.  Our first project is the creation of linked data code snippets for inclusion on course guides created in our LibGuides system.  Additional possible projects will include incorporation of linked data functionality in assignment guides and direct access to selected collection item groups from within Blackboard class shells.

–Joseph Dudley, Bryant & Stratton College

Job Opportunity at John Carroll University

Librarian for Instruction and Faculty Engagement (faculty, PoP, non-tenure track)

John Carroll University’s Grasselli Library and Breen Learning Center seeks an experienced and enthusiastic Librarian for Instruction and Faculty Engagement – Professor of Practice (POP). Reporting to the University Librarian, this position will lead the library’s teaching and instruction program. This includes responsibilities for designing, developing, delivering, and assessing instruction across the curriculum and the university, focusing specifically on critical thinking, information literacy, and generative AI. Success in this role requires a deep understanding of best practices, current trends, and new technologies in library instruction. This position will also develop and lead library outreach initiatives tailored to faculty and staff.

Deadline for priority consideration has been extended to April 13, 2026. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. The hire start date is Summer 2026.

Full position description and application: https://jcu.peopleadmin.com/postings/4033

–Stephanie Diaz, John Carroll University

Research Participation Opportunity on Moral Injury: Academic Library Workers in Children’s Literature Spaces

Given the current sociocultural and political landscape, we invite academic library workers with responsibilities related to children’s literature collections in the United States to respond to the Moral Injury: Academic Library Workers in Children’s Literature Spaces survey that seeks to uncover potentially morally injurious events and reveal the impact it is having on their professional and/or personal lives. This will encompass 1) your personal morals as well as beliefs of right and wrong, and 2) your interpretation of the morals and values of the library profession. 

Access the survey: https://illinoisstate.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cZo0G1xdWqOdSlw 

Should you choose to participate in this study, you will be asked to answer questions aligned with a moral injury events scale and then be given the opportunity to elaborate on or describe the impact based on your level of comfort.

If you know of an academic library worker who might be interested in sharing their experience, please feel free to forward the survey. The survey will remain open until Friday, May 1st 2026.

Questions or concerns may be directed to Caitlin Stewart at cjstew1@ilstu.edu. This study is conducted by academic librarians from Illinois State University, Northern Illinois University, New York University, and Indiana University.

–Caitlin Stewart, Illinois State University

MiALA 2026 Conference-Register Now!

Planning is underway for the 2026 Annual Conference, Finding Our True North: Creating Connections to Light Our Way.

The conference will be held at the Park Place Hotel & Conference Center in downtown Traverse City on May 7 & 8, 2026, with pre-conference events taking place on Wednesday, May 6

If you have questions for the committee or ideas you’d like to share, please email conference@miala.org.

Editor’s Note: MiALA’s Conference Planning Committee is graciously offering ALAO members the same $175 conference registration fee as their own members. Visit their conference website for more information, and to register to support our neighbors to the North.

–Thad Dickinson, Central Michigan University

Posted in Vol. 45 no. 1 (March 2026) | Tagged | Leave a comment

President’s Report

Posted on December 23, 2025 by anitaslack
Paul C. Campbell, ALAO President

Annual Conference Update

Mission Accomplished! This year’s conference was a resounding success. I hope you enjoyed the 2025 Annual Conference as much as I did. I truly treasure the opportunity to reconnect with old friends and to make new ones. I would like to reiterate what Ione reminded us in their keynote, “ALAO = Community.” For more than a decade, I have deeply valued our community, and I hope you feel that same sense of connection and support.

This year, we were fortunate to welcome presenters from Ohio, Illinois, Tennessee, Georgia, and Michigan. I want to extend my sincere thanks to all of them for offering such a rich variety of content and perspectives. Their contributions will undoubtedly strengthen the work we do engaging with our patrons at our home institutions. Developing this content requires significant time, energy, and thought, and we are truly grateful for the dedication each presenter brought to this year’s conference. Look at our line-up of stellar presentations and posters.

Each year, we invite conference attendees to complete a post-conference survey to share their experiences. The Conference Planning Committee (CPC) carefully reviewed feedback from the 2024 conference and used it to guide our planning for 2025. As a result, we implemented several key changes, including:

  • We did our best to assign sessions and rooms. (We recognized that this isn’t an exact science.)
  • Dramatically reduced the number of tables in the smaller rooms, allowing for more chairs and overall space.
  • Utilized more rooms for each concurrent session.

We are looking forward to reviewing the feedback from this year and passing it forward to next year’s CPC.

I would especially like to thank Ione T. Damasco and Hanna Schmillen for their outstanding contributions to this year’s conference. In their keynote, Ione shared powerful insights on how Critical Hope can guide us through the challenges we face in academic librarianship today. While Hanna did an excellent job in leading this year’s Pre-Conference on the growth of evidence synthesis across the disciplines and how librarians can meet the challenge of supporting this methodology.  

Finally, this year’s conference would not have been possible without the tireless work of the Conference Planning Committee.  I am endlessly thankful for their hard work over the last 11 months of planning. 

  • Don Appleby, ALAO Treasurer
  • Cara Calabrese, Indiana University at Bloomington
  • Emily Henderson, Columbus State Community College
  • Kristine Kinzer, Columbus State Community College
  • Katie Maxfield, University of Dayton
  • Abigail Morgan, Miami University of Ohio
  • Gerald Natal, University of Toledo
  • Kristen Peters, Case Western Reserve University
  • Mira Scarnecchia, Columbus State Community College
  • Diane Schrecker, Ashland University
  • Leticia Wiggins, The Ohio State University
  • Rob O’Brien Withers, Miami University of Ohio


We look forward to seeing you again at ALAO’s conference next year. So, mark your calendars!  Next year’s conference is set for October 29 & 30, 2026 at the OCLC Conference Center in Dublin, Ohio.  More information will come out in the spring of 2026.  

Executive Board Meeting Report

In the last ALAO executive board meeting we finalized and approved the updated Strategic Plan for 2025-2030.  In the spring of 2025, Sara Klink met with and listened to many of our committees and IGs on how we should update ALAO’s Strategic Plan.  Given the current political climate, we sought to keep the previous Mission Statement and update the Focus Areas of our strategic plan to better reflect our core commitment to supporting, including, and empowering our members to succeed.  I have asked each of our committees and IGs to develop goals that directly align with at least one of these Focus Areas.

As President, I am eager to focus on Focus Area 3: Stewardship & Development, particularly ensuring that our existing IGs and committees have the membership needed to thrive. I have formed a small task force to support this effort, and we will begin our work together in January.

Posted in Vol. 44 no. 4 (Dec. 2025) | Tagged | Leave a comment

Past President’s Report

Posted on December 22, 2025 by anitaslack

ALAO 2025 Annual Conference Awards Recap

The awards and grants that have been established by ALAO are our way of supporting and recognizing the amazing work that is being done by our ALAO members and library community. This lunchtime event is always such a memorable piece of the Annual Conference!

Sara Klink, ALAO Past President

Here are the 2025 scholarship, grant and award recipients:

  • The Research and Publications Committee Research Grant was awarded to Catie Carlson (University of Cincinnati Clermont College).
  • The TEDSIG TEDdy Award for distinguished service by an ALAO member in the fields of Technical, Electronic and Digital Services was presented to Lauren Marshall (John Carroll University).
  • The Support Staff Conference Grants were awarded to Jacqui Allen (Shawnee State University) and Alyssa Cruz (Ohio State University). These awards are intended to encourage staff participation and development in ALAO activities by offsetting registration and travel expenses to attend and/or present at the ALAO Annual Conference.
  • The Continuing Education Grant was awarded to Meagan Fowler (Cuyahoga Community College).  This award is meant to defray costs of participating in conferences, workshops, seminars, and similar library-related educational opportunities.

The 2025 ALAO People’s Choice Poster Award winner was Preserving Libraries’ Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion work: A Directory of Projects for the Present and the Future from Ken Irwin (Miami University).

Deidra Herring-Kathryn Venditti Mentoring Award

Deidra Herring

The Kathryn Venditti Mentoring Award was established in 2016 to honor individuals who demonstrate excellence as a mentor and named in memory of its first recipient. It is given annually to an academic librarian who has demonstrated excellence as a mentor.

This year’s recipient of the Kathryn Venditti Mentoring Award is Deidra Herring, Associate Professor and Education Librarian at the Ohio State University.

This year’s award committee was thoroughly impressed with the robust nature of this nomination.This year’s nomination was written by not one but many of the librarians that have been shaped by Deidra’s mentorship, who have discovered confidence, courage, and direction through generous mentorship and example. “Few colleagues embody the true spirit of mentorship as fully, who leads with altruism, empathy, and generosity. Her impact on Ohio libraries and the profession is best measured by the librarians she has mentored”. The Mary P. Key Diversity Resident program was one of the nation’s longest running diversity residency programs in academic librarianship. Though it is now gone into hiatus the nominee has remained one of its de facto guardians and signature mentor. Deidra has offered professional guidance, personal encouragement, and inspiration to countless early career librarians. The extensive mentoring of new and early-career librarians is exactly what embodies the spirit of this award. 

The Jay Ladd Distinguished Service Award is named for a former Ohio State University librarian who was instrumental in the formation of ALAO. It honors individuals with a strong record of promoting academic libraries, librarianship, and strong leadership. 

Katy Mathuews

Katy Mathuews-Jay Ladd Service Award

This year’s recipient of the Jay Ladd Service Award is Katy Mathuews, The Executive Director and CEO of OhioNet, in recognition of her exemplary contributions to ALAO and other Ohio academic library professional communities.  

Even before Katy took on her new role this year as OhioNet’s Executive Director and CEO, she was already a recognized leader in academic librarianship throughout the state. Under her leadership, ALAO developed partnerships with a number of state-wide library organizations. In her current role she has taken the lead to ensure that our efforts as an academic library community continue to promote belonging for all despite political pressures. ALAO has greatly benefited under her leadership as it made strides in its strategic goals of increasing our equity and inclusion efforts,improving its efficiency and organization and re-examining the function of appointed and elected positions. When the pandemic hit Katy helped ALAO members work though this difficult and uncertain time. “ALAO members are very fortunate to have her continued leadership as the CEO of OhioNet where she continues to help us as a partner in our important work”

Please join me in congratulating all of our grant, scholarship, and award winners!

2026 ALAO Elections – CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

Considering professional service or leadership opportunities, or know someone who might be?  If so, please consider nominating yourself or a colleague for a position on the ALAO Board! 

2025-2026 ALAO Executive Board

This year’s elections will take place in spring 2026, with successful candidates officially assuming their positions at the ALAO Board Retreat in July. 

What does the ALAO Board do?

As the Ohio chapter of ACRL, we:

  • Advance academic library services in our state and provide opportunities for education and growth for library personnel at all levels and at every career stage
  • Sponsor an annual conference and spring workshops that focus on innovative topics and showcase Ohio academic librarians
  • Provide scholarships and awards
  • Maintain several active, diverse interest groups and committees.
  • Have a mentoring program that pairs up Ohio academic librarians for peer-to-peer, inter-generational, leadership, or student mentoring relationships

ALAO Board members:

  • Perform duties described in the Procedures Manual for their position
  • Attend monthly Board meetings
  • Participate in the annual Board planning retreat in July

This year, we will be soliciting nominations for the following elected positions:

  • Vice President/President Elect
  • Secretary   
  • Board Member-at-Large (3 positions)
  • Treasurer
  • Public Relations Coordinator
  • Membership Chair

You can read more about each position here 

Please submit nominations or self-nominations to the online 2026 ALAO Election Nomination Form by Friday, February 27, 2026

ALAO is also looking for volunteers for the following appointed positions to start in July 2026:

  • Interest Group Coordinator
  • Communications Editor
  • Co-chair positions for subject specific interest groups

Please complete the volunteer form to indicate your interest in the above positions or email Sara Klink, Nominating Committee Chair, at pastpresident@alaoweb.org

Questions about the upcoming elections or volunteer opportunities?  Please feel free to contact Sara Klink (pastpresident@alaoweb.org) or Laura Birkenhauer (membership@alaoweb.org)

Posted in Vol. 44 no. 4 (Dec. 2025) | Tagged | Leave a comment

Vice President’s Report

Posted on December 22, 2025 by anitaslack
Cara Calabrese, ALAO Vice President/President Elect

Hi ALAO! I’m now coming to you from Indiana. At the beginning of the fall semester, I started a new job as Head of Acquisitions at IU-Bloomington. As I was gearing up for my Vice President year and the 2025 Conference, it felt bittersweet to leave Ohio, but I am so glad that I am an ALAO member and that I got to see so many of you at the conference in November! It was great that we got to explore using a second hybrid track and refine the use of the overall space. 

I’m looking forward to the next year, the 2026 conference, and continuing to support the ALAO community. Right now, I’m still doing some of the PR Coordinator work, but if you would like to try your hand at PR for ALAO please reach out! Diane Schrecker has been making some fabulous graphics for the conference, templates to build on, and has gotten our socials to a good place, so the role isn’t as large or daunting as it has been in the past. I know I’ve had fun making posts and learning new skills.

Now to switch gears, the ALAO 2026 Conference will take place at the OCLC Headquarters in Columbus, Ohio on October 29-30, 2026!  

The call for conference proposals will be coming out towards March of 2026, but we are assembling the conference planning committee now! Please reach out to me (cmcalabr@iu.edu) if you have questions and if you would like to serve on the 2026 Conference Planning Committee (CPC) fill out this form. The form also has additional info on time commitments and such. Conference planning is really fun! Whether this is your 1st committee or you’ve helped plan multiple conferences, I’m excited to work with you!

Posted in Vol. 44 no. 4 (Dec. 2025) | Tagged | Leave a comment

Member Spotlight

Posted on December 22, 2025 by anitaslack

Let’s shine the Member Spotlight on Mandy Knapp from the State Library of Ohio!

What is/are your role(s) in libraries?

I’m the State Librarian of Ohio, which means that I am the executive director of the State Library of Ohio. The State Library is a small state government agency that has a research library, does grantmaking for libraries, provides services for libraries and distributes audiobook players for the blind, visually impaired and print disabled.

What do you like most about library work?

Information is the key to good decision making; librarianship is all about unlocking knowledge. It is a privilege to be able to serve others in this way; I love being able to help people.

What are some interesting projects you’ve been involved with lately?

Well, this year has certainly been interesting. Isn’t that a famous curse “May you live in interesting times”? My role is like that of many administrators: dealing with budgets, creating plans and strategies for the future and liaising with stakeholders. Issues at the federal level have made all of those tasks interesting indeed.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself.

One of my jokes with my coworkers is that I need to become more eccentric. Some of the State Librarians—especially in the 19th century—were real characters. There was one who was obsessed with Abraham Lincoln and followed him around as an “unofficial bodyguard”. He also collected a lot of books on spiritualism and the occult that we still have in the collection today. My favorite title in that collection is “Lives of the Necromancers”, which was written by William Godwin, Mary Shelley’s dad.

Why did you join ALAO?

ALAO is a wonderful organization to connect with other librarians. We get our best ideas when we work together.

Posted in Vol. 44 no. 4 (Dec. 2025) | Tagged | Leave a comment