-Being an ALA Emerging Leader
ALA offers various programs to support and develop library professionals, one notable program being the Emerging Leaders. This initiative is designed to cultivate the next generation of leaders in the library profession by providing participants with opportunities for growth, networking, and leadership skill development.
The Emerging Leaders Program selects a diverse group of library staff and graduate students each year through a competitive application process. Participants represent different types of libraries, regions, and areas of expertise within the library field. Once selected, they engage in a year-long program that includes online learning, in-person meetings, and collaborative projects.
In 2024, I was selected as an ALA Emerging Leader! I should work with four more exceptional librarians on a project for the Philanthropic Advisory Group (PAG), identifying and recommending strategies for ALA to connect with a new group of donors. The group was anxious to leverage their collective expertise and creativity to develop actionable recommendations aligned with ALA's strategic goals and values.
Group H/ Emerging Leaders 2024. From left to right: Brea Gilliam, Shuyi Liu, Elizabeth Hurtado, Angela Daniels and Elena Rios
As a requirement for participation, we should attend the Library Learning Experience in Baltimore to receive our project's outline from PAG, and attend the ALA National Conference in San Diego to deliver our project and present a poster session with the rest of the emerging leaders.
We worked hard for six months, meeting monthly to check the project's progress and assign tasks. We interviewed prominent librarianship professionals to learn their perspectives and collect recommendations to enlarge the American Library Association fundraising pipeline. We wrote our paper and designed our final report. The group brought together diverse perspectives, innovative thinking, and a shared commitment to advancing ALA's mission.
Our investigation resulted in recommendations for identifying ALA's target groups, developing effective marketing strategies to reach them, implementing best practices for success measurement in fundraising campaigns, managing budgets, and maintaining creativity and innovation in nonprofit organizations' fundraising.
Scan the QR Code to check our project!
Poster Session during the ALA Annual Conference 2024