Amy Koester elected ALSC vice-president/president-elect

Amy Koester, learning experiences manager, Skokie (Ill.) Public Library (SPL), has been elected vice president/president-elect of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). She begins her term as president-elect on July 1, 2021. 

“I look forward to continuing my work within ALSC in the role of Vice President/President Elect,” Koester said. “I am grateful for this opportunity to work and lead in pursuit of our vision: to engage communities to build healthy, successful futures for all children. ALSC is strong thanks to the hard work and dedication of our members, member leaders, and staff, and I am excited to walk these next steps together.”

Koester earned her MLS in 2011 from Indiana University, Bloomington, School of Library and Information Science (SLIS). Prior to her current position, she served as youth and family program coordinator at SPL from 2014 to 2018. She was a children’s librarian at St. Charles City-County (Ill.) Library District from 2011 to 2014.

Koester has been an ALSC member for 10 years. She currently serves as ALSC priority group consultant for Organizational Support. In addition, she held the position of New-to-ALSC Director on the ALSC Board of Directors from 2016 to 2019. She has served on various ALSC committees since 2011. Koester is also a member of the Public Library Association.

In addition to her work within ALA, Koester has served as advisory board member for the “Navigating Screens: Libraries as Community Hubs for Teaching Positive Screen Media Practices” grant, 2017-2020; editorial board member for “In the Library with the Lead Pipe,” 2016-2020; and co-organizer, with Dr. Nicole Cooke, of the Defeating the Bullies and Trolls in the Library: Developing Strategies to Protect our Rights and Personhood conference in March 2019. 

Koester was a 2015 participant in Synergy: The Illinois Library Leadership Initiative and received the Sickels Award in 2011 for excellent potential and high achievement in youth services librarianship from Indiana University SLIS.

Three members were elected to serve as Directors-at-Large on the ALSC Board of Directors: Sada Mozer, Los Angeles Public Library; Tori Ann Ogawa, Kitsap (Wash.) Regional Library; and Georgina Rivas-Martinez, South Huntington (N.Y.) Public Library. The newly elected board members will be seated to the ALSC Board of Directors on July 1, 2021.

Individuals elected to serve on the 2023 Caldecott, Children’s Literature Legacy, Newbery and Sibert committees are:

2023 Caldecott: Jessica Bratt, Grand Rapids (Mich.) Public Library; Natasha Forrester Campbell, Multnomah County Library, Portland, Ore.; Annamarie Carlson, Westerville (Ohio) Public Library; Darla Salva Cruz, Suffolk (N.Y.) Cooperative Library System; Rosa Diaz, Rochester (N.Y.) City School District; Eiyana Favers, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore; Cristina Mitra, San Francisco Public Library; and Alia Shields, Cherry Hill (N.J.) Public Library.

2023 Children’s Literature Legacy: Sandra Farag, Kalamazoo (Mich.) Public Library; Ayn Frazee, Portland (Ore.) Public Schools; and Marika Jeffery, San Diego (Calif.) Public Library.

2023 Newbery: Jessica Agudelo, New York Public Library; Amalia Butler, Maplewood (N.J.) Memorial Library; Yesica Hurd, San Francisco Public Library; Kristen Kwisnek, Severn School, Arnold, Md.; Sierra McKenzie, Public Library of Cincinnati/Hamilton County; Marion Rocco, Austin Waldorf School/University of Texas, Austin; Edward Spicer, Allegan, Mich.; and Kristine Techavanich, Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach, Fla.

2023 Sibert: Cynthia Alaniz, Coppell (Texas) Independent School District; Justin Azevedo, Sacramento (Calif.) Public Library; Katelyn Martens-Rodriguez, Washington County Library, Cottage Grove, Minn.; Laurie Reese, Los Angeles Public Library; and Ashley Waring, Reading (Mass.) Public Library.

Current president Kirby McCurtis appointed the following 2023 award committee chairs: Robert Bittner, Langley, BC, Canada, Caldecott Award Committee; Maegen Rose, Rye (N.Y.) Country Day School, Children’s Literature Legacy Committee; Christina Vortia, Hillsborough County (Fla.) Public Schools, Newbery Award Committee; and Elisa Gall, University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, Sibert Award Committee. Lucia Gonzalez, current vice president/president-elect, will appoint the remaining members of these committees, as well as members of ALSC’s other prestigious award committees this fall.

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association, is driven by 4,000 members dedicated to the support and enrichment of library service to children. Our members include youth librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty. ALSC supports its members in engaging communities to build healthy, successful, futures for all children. To learn more about ALSC and how to join, please visit our website at www.ala.org/alsc.