NOMINEES First Vice President/President-Elect Jennifer Stocker ............................... 2 Chris Snyder .................................... 2 Second Vice President/Conference Chair Amy Deuink .................................... 3 Jennifer Knisely ............................... 4 Third Vice President/Membership Chair Dan Parker ...................................... 4 Melissa Rowse ................................. 5 Directors-at-Large Tracy Trotter .................................... 6 Dana Barber .................................... 6 Elizabeth Davis ................................ 7 Julie Mulcahy .................................. 7 Roberta Greene ............................... 8 PENNSYLVANIA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION Résumés & Platform Statements 2014 PaLA Officer and Director Nominees to Serve Beginning in 2015
Transcript
NOMINEES
First Vice President/President-Elect
Jennifer Stocker ............................... 2
Chris Snyder .................................... 2
Second Vice President/Conference Chair
Amy Deuink .................................... 3
Jennifer Knisely ............................... 4
Third Vice President/Membership Chair
Dan Parker ...................................... 4
P E N N S y L V a N I a L I b r a r y a S S O C I a T I O N
Résumés & Platform Statements
2014 PaLa Officer and Director Nomineesto Serve Beginning in 2015
Jennifer Stocker has been the library director of the Easton Area Public Library and District Center since 2005. She
started her career at the library in 1988, where she gained experience working in almost every depart-ment, and upon graduation, was honored to serve for three years as district consultant for the Easton Library District.
Stocker received her B.S. in Public Administration in 1996 and her
Jennifer Stocker
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first Vice President/President-elect
M.L.S. from Kutztown University in 1999.
Her PaLa activities have included:
• Chair, Awards Committee (2014)• Secretary, Public Library Division
(2014)• Member, PaLA Annual Confer-
ence Committee (Exhibits Chair) (2014)
• Vice-Chair, Lehigh Valley Chapter (2014)
• Secretary, Lehigh Valley Chapter (2013)
• Member, Lehigh Valley Chapter (2002–2005; 2013–present)
Stocker sits on the board of directors for the Greater Lehigh Valley Cham-ber of Commerce, Easton Chamber. She is a member of the Easton Lions Club, where she is a past president.
Chris Snyder
Chris Snyder is the district consultant for the Doylestown District. Previously, she held the positions of technical services
manager, ILS administrator, cataloger, and training program coordinator for Bucks County Free Library. She began her career as the librarian at Bishop Egan High School in Fairless Hills, PA. Before entering the public library field, she was the librarian at Bishop Egan High School in Fairless Hills, PA.
Snyder earned her M.L.S. from Drexel University and her B.S. in Library Science/English Education from Shippensburg University. She holds instructional certificates in secondary English education and library science.
Her PaLa activities have included:
• Second Vice-President/Chair, PaLA Conference Committee (2014)
• Co-Recipient, SEPLA Chapter’s Patricia A. Dobbin Award for Library Service (2011)
• Member-at-large, SEPLA Board of Directors (multiple years)
She has presented at PaLA conferences and regional workshops. In addition to her PaLA activities, she has presented workshops for the New Jersey Library Association’s Technical Services Division.
Platform Statement
I am truly honored to be nominated for this amazing position within PaLA. I have been a member for almost 15 years and have tried to support the association the best that I can by attending conferences, serv-ing on committees and encouraging membership. I value all library ser-vice in Pennsylvania and the impact-ful roles that a library gives to their communities. We move ahead by working together and I hope to share my own experiences of suc-cessful partnerships at the state level. In addition, we need to con-tinue to establish dialogues with our state legislature to emphasize the need for stable funding for all librar-ies in Pennsylvania.
Chris SnyderContinued on next page
Platform Statement
A library is a center of ideas. A pub-lic place where knowledge, research, creativity, and technology intersect. So why do libraries often still strug-gle under the public perception that they are no longer needed or rel-evant? Through collaborative part-nerships, advocacy, marketing, improving online services, PA For-ward, and focusing on sustainabil-ity, we can all take the lead in elimi-nating this line of thought. Through my 30+ years of working with library staff and with PaLA, I know that a strong library begins with local effort and, in my experience, so does leadership. Leaders are not just “those people” in Harrisburg, in a head office or in a director’s chair, as some may think. Though high vis-ibility can be an asset to a leader, it is
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first Vice President/President-elect (cont.)
Chris Snyder (cont.)
not necessary. For me, strong leaders are the people who believe, the peo-ple who show up. Every member of PaLA believes that libraries have the power to shine a light into a person’s life, and every PaLA member “shows up” every day in his or her library. We need to build our leaders and our organizational strength through
local increased participation — har-nessing the talents of the people who may be part of our libraries, but not fully engaged in PaLA. These are the people who can raise public aware-ness about libraries and all they have to offer, who can speak up about the critical issues facing our libraries, and who can help move libraries
forward. This kind of local engage-ment is a quiet form of leadership, which is just as important as high visibility leadership and can be even more effective. As president, I will work to increase engagement with existing members who may not see themselves as leaders—yet.
amy deuink is the head librarian at Penn State Beaver. She previously held posi-tions at the Penn State Altoona, Schuylkill,
and University Park campuses.
Deuink holds a B.A. in anthropology from Penn State and an M.S.L.I.S. from Syracuse University.
Her PaLa activities have included:
• Chair, Scholarship and Continuing Education Committee (2014)
• Member, Ad Hoc Committee on Virtual Continuing Education (2013)
• Member-at-Large, College & Research Division (2011–2013)
amy deuink
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Second Vice President/Conference Chair
• Chair, Connect & Communicate Series Planning Team (2012–2013) [online professional development]
• Liaison, PaLA Legislative Committee (2011)
• Vice-Chair/Chair/Past Chair, College & Research Division (2008–2010)
• Liaison, PaLA Conference Program Planning Committee (2009)
• Member, Lehigh Valley Chapter Planning Committee (2003–2007)
• Liaison, PaLA Membership Committee (2006)
Deuink is a 2012 graduate of the PaLA Academy of Leadership Studies (PALS). She has presented at PaLA conferences and published in the PaLA Bulletin. Deuink has also been active in the American Library Association and the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL), serving on and lead-ing ACRL and ACRL Instruction Sec-tion committees since 2003.
Platform Statement
Just as PaLA supports the institution of Pennsylvania’s libraries, it too sup-ports the professional development of the state’s librarians. The PaLA Annual Conference offers not only opportuni-ties to learn and to network with peers, but also to present research findings and share discoveries with others. For many, it is where Pennsyl-vania’s librarians have their first expe-rience presenting at a professional conference. For some prodigious mem-bers, presenting at PaLA is nearly an annual event and we all look forward to hearing what they have been up to over the past year. I have had the honor of presenting at the PaLA Annual Conference, organizing the CRD Luncheon, and selecting confer-ence proposals for inclusion in the program. If elected, it would be my honor to serve as the conference chair.
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Jennifer Knisely has been the executive director of the Altoona Area Public Library (AAPL) since 2011. Begin-ning her
library career as a work study student at the AAPL in 1994, Knisely has held various positions including: technical aide, youth services coordinator, out-reach services coordinator, and chil-dren’s services director.
In 2013 she was awarded the Juniata-Conemaugh Chapter’s Exceptional Service Award for developing library services, advancing the chapter mis-
Jennifer Knisely
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Second Vice President/Conference Chair (cont.)
sion, and demonstrating leadership. Knisely holds a B.S. in Rehabilitation Services Education from Penn State University and an M.S.L.S. from Clarion University.
Her PaLa activities have included:
• Member, Juniata-Conemaugh Chapter
• Member, Public Relations/Market-ing Committee
• Member, Annual Conference Committee (2011)
She is active in the community as a member of the Local Interagency Coor-dinating Council, Board Member for Child Advocates of Blair County, Board Member for the Pennsylvania High-lands Community College Blair County Advisory Board, Women’s Club of Altoona, Girl Scouts of Western PA, and the Altoona Rotary Club.
Platform Statement
I am very excited at the possibility of serving in a leadership role with PaLA. Throughout the years, so many have given of their time and talents to advance our profession and shine a spotlight on library services through-out Pennsylvania. I believe I could help build on the foundations that currently exist and assist with con-tinuing the “forward” momentum. Recruitment and support of new pro-fessions and orientation into the asso-ciation is the responsibility of every member, even more so for those on these ballots. We can accomplish this by encouraging involvement on com-mittees and roundtables and encour-aging participation in workshops and the annual conference. This year we can continue to cultivate new leaders, advocates and professionals. Together we can make a difference.
dan Parker
daniel Parker has been execu-tive director of Clarion Free Library and adminis-trator of the Clarion County
Library Sys-tem since 2011. He had previously served six years as district consultant for the Oil Creek Library District. Prior
to his public library career, he held faculty librarian positions at the Uni-versity of Pittsburgh and St. Bonaven-ture University.
Parker earned both his B.A. and M.L.I.S. from the University of Pitts-burgh.
His PaLa activities have included:
• Director-at-Large (2014)• Chair, Public Library Division
• Secretary/Treasurer, Public Library Division (2010 and 2011)
• Chapter Chair, NW Chapter (2008 and 2009)
• Member, NW Chapter Board (2006–2010)
Other library service activities include a three-year term on ALA/RUSA’s STARS Committee, three terms on PaLA’s Nominating Committee, and a term on the Membership Committee.
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third Vice President/membership Chair
dan ParkerContinued on next page
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melissa rowse is the assistant director of the James V. Brown Library in Williams-port. She previously
was the dis-trict consultant for the North Central Library District and the director of the Montgomery House Warrior Run Area Public library. She also worked as a media librarian for Orange-Ulster BOCES in NY, assistant director for Pope Air Force Base Library in NC, fiscal assistant at the Leroy Collins Leon County Public Library in Tallahassee, FL, and as a U.S. Army officer in Bamberg, Germany.
Rowse received both her B.A. in Inter-national Affairs and M.L.S. from Flor-ida State University.
Her PaLa activities have included:
• Chair, PA Forward PR/Marketing Committee (2013–2014)
• Chair, West Branch Chapter (2012–2013)
• Member, Awards Committee (2013) • Member, Steering Committee, West
Branch Chapter (2007–2014)• Vice-Chair, West Branch Chapter
(2010–2011)• Co-Chair, West Branch Chapter
workshops (2010, 2011, 2012)
Platform Statement
I am thrilled and honored to be nomi-nated for a position on the Pennsylva-nia Library Association board. I am
proud to be a member for the past 8 years and am excited to share my enthusiasm for the organization. PaLA does so many wonderful things from lobbying on behalf of all libraries to creating a unified message through PA Forward to providing high-quality educational opportunities. As third vice president, I will promote member-ship far and wide, encouraging all who are connected to libraries to join. Penn-sylvania libraries benefit greatly from a strong association that promotes net-working across all different types of libraries. The association is strong because of its membership. My goal is two fold: develop stronger member-ship connections throughout the asso-ciation and increase membership over-all, so that together we can continue moving PA Forward.
C a n d i d a t e S f o r
third Vice President/membership Chair (cont.)
dan Parker (cont.)
Platform Statement
The strength and certainly the future of PaLA is its members. To continue our tradition of excellence in library advocacy and to remain viable for years to come, we need to retain cur-rent members and work diligently to expand our membership base. Build-ing membership and enhancing the membership experience will be the focus of my efforts as vice-president for membership. Our current members are our best recruitment tool; there-fore, I will work diligently with chap-ters and roundtables to recruit new
members from both the professional ranks of public and academic libraries as well as our support staff, Trustees, Friends, and Patrons. A concerted effort needs to be made to bring all those who work in and care about libraries under the PaLA banner, so that our organization might truly be the voice for all Pennsylvania libraries. We must also retain our current mem-bers. By making membership as per-sonal and as rewarding as possible you and the organization will benefit. As information professionals, we must
make use of the organization’s new website with its social-media-like func-tions to assure better contact with members, energize them when grass-roots pressure is needed on an issue, inform them of news and events, and foster a sense of a professional commu-nity. My ultimate goal as your vice-president of membership is to make PaLA membership a badge of pride and encourage you to share your mem-bership experience with others. I am honored to be nominated for this posi-tion and appreciate your vote.
melissa rowse
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tracy trotter
dana Barber
tracy trotter has been the library direc-tor of Adams Memorial library in Latrobe for the past 16 years. Prior to her current
position, she was the director at Penn Area Library, and before that was reference librarian at Millstein Library/University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg and at Reeves Library/Seton Hill University. As a student, she worked at Westmo-reland County Community College’s library, Hempfield Area High School
dana Barber is administra-tor of the Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Library in Bristol, Bucks County. She previously served there
as reference librarian, head of public services, and assistant director.
Barber earned her B.A. from Holy Family College in Philadelphia and her M.L.I.S. from Rutgers University.
Her PaLa activities have included:
• Member, PaLA Annual Conference Committee (2014)
Library and Wendover Middle School Library.
She received her M.L.S. from the Uni-versity of Pittsburgh in 1992, and is a member of Beta Phi Mu International Library Science Honor Society, where she previously served as treasurer. She has been active in PaLA since the early 1990s. In addition to her activities below, she has presented sessions at the PaLA annual conference, chapter workshops, and at the national Asso-ciation of Bookmobiles and Outreach Services annual conference.
Her PaLa activities have included:
• Second chair, PaLA Annual Conference Committee (2013)
• Member, Support Staff Workshop Committee, Southeast Chapter (2013)
• Author, “PALS Builds on Knowl-edge-Sharing Culture in PA,” PaLA Bulletin (2013)
• Graduate, Pennsylvania Academy of Leadership Studies (PALS) (2012)
Platform Statement
The power of the Pennsylvania Library Association is derived from the pas-sion and dedication of its members. My vision for PaLA is to harness the knowledge and experience of our
Having been a PaLA member for a couple of decades now, I have found the experience by turns to be fun, interesting, helpful, exciting, profes-sionally worthwhile and profoundly enriching on a personal level. My goal as a board member will be to find ways to make PaLA as appealing to others as it has been to me, and to help them consider their membership to be as valuable to their careers as it has been to mine.
members from all types of libraries in order to identify and implement new and innovative ways to build upon our mission, enhance our collaborations, and engage with the public. If elected for the position of Director-at-Large, I intend to continue to strengthen the organization through active participa-tion from existing members. By dem-onstrating the value of our profes-sional organization which we rely upon for advocacy, education, guid-ance, and leadership at the state level we can also recruit new members. As your liaison to the board, I will give voice to the issues of concern to you. On behalf of all PaLA members, I will work to further the goals of PaLA as they relate to the growth and sustainability of our professional organization.
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directors-at-Large
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directors-at-Large (cont.)
Julie mulcahy
Julie mulcahy serves as head of technical services for New Castle Public Library. Mulcahy received her
B.A. in History from Grove City College and M.S.L.S. from Clarion University.
elizabeth davis is the digital ser-vices librar-ian for the Scranton Public Library, serv-ing in this position since
2013. She has worked in libraries since 2005 as a branch manager, early literacy out-reach coordinator and children’s out-reach coordinator.
Davis holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature from the Pennsylvania State University and an M.L.I.S. from the University of Pittsburgh. She received PaLA’s New Librarian Honors Award in 2010. She also served as chair of Scranton Reads, the citywide commu-nity reading program from 2009 to 2012.
Libraries are keystones in the lives of people of all ages in our state, as I know from my own experiences and those of friends, family, and patrons of the library. I am committed to help promote and protect their status in our communities. Libraries will be a
Her PaLa activities have included:
• Chair, Youth Services Division (current)
• Member, Youth Services Division-Best Practices Award Committee (2013)
• Member, Northeast Chapter Spring Workshop Committee (2011–2012)
• Member, Scholarship Committee (2011)
• Member, Carolyn W. Field Award Committee (2011)
• Graduate, PaLA Academy of Lead-ership Studies (PALS) (2010)
Platform Statement
Since joining the Pennsylvania Library Association during library school in 2004, I’ve had the opportunity to par-
trusted place for years to come, and we should strive to keep the services and resources relevant and reliable during these hard economic times, especially for the young, and those struggling to find work and meaning to their lives while they wait for gainful employ-ment. Libraries are often the only place people can turn to when times are tough — for free Internet access, edu-cational materials, and recreational pursuits. Without the level playing field that libraries provide, these peo-ple would be left behind. Our friendly faces and willing service to them is invaluable. In addition, libraries have
ticipate in a variety of committees, workshops and learning experiences that have shaped who I have become as a librarian. The library world that I joined 10 years ago has evolved from Library 2.0 to the Maker Library, a library where we are no longer just asking for input, but rather providing the opportunities to create the content. As libraries and librarians, we are evolving and PaLA needs to evolve with us. I believe we need more librar-ians to become the makers of our own professional organization and not just passive members. We, as an organiza-tion, need to provide more experiences and tools for members to learn, share, empower and become creators of our future organization. As librarians, we need to be the change we want to see in our communities, libraries and most importantly in our own organization. If elected, I’d like to help us on that road.
Julie mulcahy Continued on next page
elizabeth davis
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directors-at-Large (cont.)
roberta Greene
roberta Greene is director of the Public Library for Union County in Lewisburg and the sys-tem adminis-trator for the
Union County Library System. She previously served as youth and public information specialist for the York County Library System, and director of the Cleve J. Fredricksen Library (Camp Hill) and Guthrie Memorial Library (Hanover.)
Greene received a B.S. in Art History from Wells College, and earned her M.S. in Education and M.L.S. from Long Island University.
Her PaLa activities have included:
• Publicity Chair, South Central Chapter (1983)
• Member, Annual Conference Committee (1984)
• Member, Local Arrangements Committee (1984)
• Member, Carolyn W. Fields Chil-dren’s Book Award Committee (1985)
• Member-at-Large, Public Library Division Executive Committee (1985–1988)
• Member, Youth Services Task Force (1988–1990)
• Member, PA Forward Development Committee (2013–2014)
• Recipient, New Librarian Honors Award (1983)
• Presenter, PaLA and PSLA annual conferences
Platform Statement
I am old enough to remember a per-former on the Ed Sullivan show who mesmerized viewers by spinning sev-eral plates atop flexible rods. As the pace of the music increased, Erich
Brenn ran back and forth making sure that the bowls spinning atop the rods and a set of plates rotating in between the rods remained in motion. As a child, I was in awe; as an adult, I con-sider him the ultimate example of managing multiple priorities.
The PaLA board has many plates or priorities in motion at the same time — leadership development, continu-ing education, membership recruit-ment, fiscal management, advocacy, and strategic direction. The organiza-tion relies on more than one person to keep everything rotating. I am hon-ored to be asked to be one of the members that help to keep the plates spinning while remaining responsive to the needs of the membership.
Julie mulcahy (cont.)
a great opportunity to preserve and provide unique local historical and genealogical materials, to document our heritage. With our direction, our institutions will be a destination, where connections among people
and places, both in-person and virtu-ally, can be made. Through the efforts of PaLA and the PA Forward initia-tive, there are many possibilities for partnering with those who share our
mission and interests, as we know we cannot accomplish our tasks alone. I am honored to be nominated for director-at-large and would dutifully serve the association if elected.
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