ALA's Presidential Race Underway

By Staff -- School Library Journal, 12/1/2004

Library supporters have another election to look forward to: the 2006–2007 American Library Association (ALA) presidency. In the running are two public librarians who support fostering children's love of reading—Leslie Burger, director of the Princeton Public Library in New Jersey, and Christine Lind Hage, director of the Clinton-Macomb Public Library in Clinton Township, MI.

"I see children's services, whether in public or school libraries, as essential," says Burger, who hopes to see more cooperation in education between school and public librarians and media specialists playing a bigger role in planning the school curriculum. Chief among her concerns? Helping emergent readers and making libraries a central part of kids' lives, says Burger, who's a fan of after-school tutoring and storytimes.

Ditto for Hage, who says children's services are central to fighting the battle against illiteracy. "This is why it is so important that we have media centers in every school in the country," says Hage, adding that top-notch media centers and school librarians are essential to keeping students on the path to reading success. Hage also thinks school and public libraries serve as the gateway to 21st century information literacy skills. Voting begins March 15, 2005.