ALA Names Stevens, Oliver Candidates for 2011–2012 Presidency
Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 10/10/2008
- Stevens has background at LC, public and school libraries
- Oliver has led public libraries
- First all-online election
Roberta Stevens of the Library of Congress and Kenton L. Oliver of Stark County District Library, Canton, OH have been named candidates for the 2011-2012 presidency of the American Library Association (ALA), providing a contrast in both gender and professional background. The election will be ALA’s first completely online election.
Stevens, outreach projects and partnerships officer at the Library of Congress and project manager for the National Book Festival, was previously Library of Congress Bicentennial Program Manager. She was also Director of Technical Operations for the Fairfax County Public Library and a school librarian. A member of the ALA Executive Board’s Finance & Audit Committee, she was elected to the ALA Council for two terms and served on the Committee on Legislation, chairing its Privacy and Telecommunications subcommittees. She was the first former graduate of the MLS program at the State University of New York at Buffalo to be invited as the commencement speaker.
Oliver, executive director of the Stark County library since 2001, previously was associate director for branch services for the Johnson County Library, Overland Park, KS, and directed the Olathe Public Library, KS. For four years, he has chaired the ALA’s Intellectual Freedom Committee. An elected member of the Freedom to Read Foundation board, he is a past member of the ALA Executive Board. He has also served on many American Library Association committees and as president of the Kansas Library Association and the Missouri Library Association.
