We asked candidates for Core President-Elect to answer some questions before the spring election opens on March 10. Voting will close on April 2, with results announced on April 7.
The Core President is elected to a three-year term that begins at the conclusion of the 2025 ALA Annual Conference and ends at the conclusion of the 2028 ALA Annual Conference, serving one year each as President-Elect (2025–2026), President (2026–2027), and Immediate Past-President (2027–2028).
Steve is the Head of Continuing Resources and Database Management for Z. Smith Reynolds Library at Wake Forest University in Winston Salem, NC.
- What has Core brought to your career, and what would you bring to Core were you elected to this position?
I had extensive experience with ALCTS, before Core was formed, and even participated in some of the discussions about the merger. I have been a member of the Leadership Team of the Core Metadata & Collections Section since it was founded in 2020, and I served as Chair of the Section (I am currently Past Chair). If elected President, I would bring a deep knowledge of the history of Core and it’s development, as well as a strong desire to see the division succeed. - Member engagement is critical for the life and health of the Core Division. How do you plan to sustain and grow Core’s membership?
I think the best way to sustain and grow Core’s membership is to provide programming (webinars, courses, etc.) and membership opportunities (committees, interest groups, etc.) that meet the needs of our current and potential members. We should be in conversation with our members and target audience about what they would like to see offered by Core. - How will you pursue collaboration between sections of Core, and across ALA?
I would encourage the creation of task forces or committees across sections of Core for appropriate functions. For example, I could imagine Buildings & Operations and Metadata & Collections forming a joint task force to create guidelines on the physical space needs of technical services departments, if there was a need for it. I think the same could be true with other divisions of ALA. - What does equality, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) mean in your professional life, and how should these be implemented within Core and in larger advocacy efforts?
I believe that EDIA principles, which at root reflect a basic commitment to fairness and a recognition of our shared humanity, are deeply consonant with the values of librarianship and try my best to observe them in all aspects of my professional life. Core should strongly advocate for these principles and they should be woven into the work of the division. We should also be aware that, sadly, in the current fraught political environment, some of our colleagues may be barred by their institutions or state governments from involvement in organizations that openly advocate for EDIA, which could threaten the stability of ALA and Core. It will be vitally important for Core leadership to be in regular contact with the membership and to stay informed about the evolving political situation, in order to develop a response to defend the independence of libraries and the values we support, especially values around EDIA. - What’s one thing you think Core is doing particularly well and that you would intend to support or enhance? What should the division change?
One thing Core is doing particularly well is the annual Core Forum, which has great programming and has grown in attendance every year. If we increased the promotion for it, we might attract more attendees and potential members of Core. One thing I would like to see the division change is that I would encourage all sections to hold elections for their chairs. I think that adding membership involvement to the choice of leadership creates greater member engagement and an increased sense of accountability in leaders.
Steve’s Personal Statement
When Core was formed by the merger of three separate Divisions in 2020, there was understandably a great deal of worry that the new Division would develop a cohesive identity. Over the past 4 years, I have been very pleased to see the degree to which the membership of Core has blended together, while still allowing the Sections to maintain their own identities and practices. I would like to continue this process of creating a cohesive identity for Core as its own Division.
I also would like to see Core adapt to the evolving needs and interests of our membership, through programming and membership opportunities. Many of our Section level committees and interest groups pre-date the formation of Core, and some may have outlived their usefulness, while others may need to be created to meet the changing needs of our members. I believe that the changing needs of Core’s membership as well as the need to guarantee the financial stability of the organization should be central to our next strategic planning process, which will begin in 2025 as the current strategic plan expires. I have extensive experience with strategic planning. As Past President of NASIG, I was involved in the creation of a new strategic plan for the organization in 2016, and then served on a implementation task force that turned the plan into concrete action items. I also served as the chair of the strategic planning committee at my library in 2023-2024, which developed a very thorough plan that drew on and synthesized input from numerous stakeholders across my university.
Core is an incredibly valuable source of education, networking, and mentorship, and if elected Vice President/President-Elect I would work diligently to make it the best it can be. I love Core and want to see it succeed.
Thank you, Steve!
