Liz King
Candidate for NYLA President (Representing an Academic or Special Library) (2021-22)
Associate Director, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Libraries/Liz_King_headshot.jpg)
As I write this, libraries are facing extraordinary challenges due to COVID-19 related closures, and two emerging themes are the importance of leadership and the question of what constitutes essential library services. Professionals from all types of libraries look to library associations, including NYLA, for leadership, guidance, and support. Academic libraries are forced to reconsider how they demonstrate their worth as campuses remain closed, and furloughs and layoffs are a new reality.
NYLA's next president from an academic library must be able to separate the signal from the noise, leverage partnerships and resources, and steer the association towards a sustainable future. My background spans over fourteen years, from public and technical services to reference, outreach, and instruction; from Library Clerk to Associate Director. While none of us can predict the future of libraries, we must be the ones writing the story.
Ensuring that libraries are valued and funded requires experience, passion, resilience, dedication, creativity, and a willingness to manage risks and take action. As a recent participant in the NYLA Developing Leaders Program, and someone who reads literature on leadership for "fun," I can assure you that leading NYLA towards a future-thinking vision of sustainable libraries will be my focus.