ALA Race: Davenport, Rettig

By Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 12/15/2006

Two candidates with experience on the American Library Association's (ALA) Executive Board will vie for the 2008–09 ALA presidency. Nancy Davenport, interim director of library services at the District of Columbia Public Library, served on the board from 2002 to 2005, and James Rettig, university librarian at the University of Richmond, VA, served from 2003 to 2006.

Davenport was president of the Council on Library and Information Resources (2004–06) and codean at the Frye Leadership Institute (2005–06); previously, she worked at the Library of Congress for more than 30 years, most recently as director of acquisitions (1998–2004). Before joining the University of Richmond in 1998, Rettig worked at the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and others. Known for his writing about reference, Rettig is a past president of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA).

On the spring ballot, ALA members also will choose a new treasurer. The candidates are Rod Hersberger, dean of the University Library at California State University-Bakersfield, and Jo Ann Pinder, who recently left her post as executive director of the Gwinnett County Public Library, GA. The term will last three years, from 2007 to 2010.