UCLA ALA Student Chapter Hosts Dr. Camila Alire, Immediate Past President of ALA

On Thursday, January 13, the UCLA ALA Student Chapter hosted Dr. Camila Alire, Immediate Past President of the American Library Association, for a lecture on advancing your career through leadership, advocacy, and diversity.

Dr. Alire was greeted at the door with her long-time friend, Dr. Elaine Svenonius, UCLA Professor Emerita and a noted name in cataloging. They had a chance to stop in and talk to the faculty for a few moments, and Dr. Alire then greeted UCLA MLIS students and several local librarians, introducing herself personally to each attendee.

From left to right. Top row: Ashley Sands, treasurer; Julie Glassman, vice-president; Lynn Kysh, secretary; Marisa Christensen, publicity; Sherry Sue, web guru; Caprice Roberson, treasurer. Bottom row: Britt Foster, president; Dr. Camila Alire; Stevie Hartford, president; Stacy Wood, vice-president.

Dr. Alire's lecture focused on a hot topic for UCLA students: How to enact positive change through promoting libraries and information institutions, being a voice for all kinds of diversity in the IS professions, and how to achieve positions of leadership that will enable this kind of change-making.

Some key points from the lecture emphasized the importance of "the volunteer arm": getting your hand in the air whenever opportunities arise. Dr. Alire points out that this builds a network, and puts you in the professional place of being someone who can get things done, which can lead to job opportunities you're not even looking for! Dr. Alire called this, "leadership by default," and this received some titters in the audience: the UCLA ALA student members are very active on campus, and know what it means to step up and get things done!

Risk taking in career choices and advocacy was another theme: being able to succeed in risky ventures shows your willingness to take charge. Even if you don't succeed in the initial project, being able to identify a challenge and attempt to solve it is deeply important during these times when information institutions are struggling so.

Dr. Alire also touched on the importance of commitment to diversity, something that concerns UCLA students serving the Los Angeles area deeply, and the importance of being an emotionally intelligent leader.

The UCLA ALA Student Chapter would like to thank Natalie Cole of the California Library Association for her help in arranging Dr. Alire's visit. Look for an article about the visit in the upcoming CLA E-Newsletter!