Dear AzLA Members and Leadership Team, I regret to inform you all that  Corey Christians, the AzLA President, has resigned effective June 20, 2020. I would like to thank Corey for his service this past year and wish him the very best in his future endeavors.  According to Section 6; Paragraph A of the AzLA bylaws, in the event a vacancy occurs in the office of President during the term for which such officer was elected, the President-Elect shall serve as President for the remainder of such term, but this shall not be deemed to create a vacancy in the office of President-Elect. So I will be serving in both roles till a new president-elect is elected. I would like to restate here that AzLA represents the interest of all libraries in AZ and our mission is to   promote library service and librarianship in libraries of all types. As we proceed through these uncertain times I believe it will take a collaborative effort of all libraries to unite and overcome the challenges we will face in su

As devoted public servants, library staff always want to be there for our patrons in a crisis.  Libraries across Arizona are finding innovative ways to serve, while protecting both staff and patrons from spreading the COVID-19 virus.  The last thing we want to do is close our doors, but if temporary closures will be of greater benefit to public health, that is what we must do.  The ALA is recommending library closures at this time to minimize the spread of the virus and to protect patrons and staff from getting sick.  If your local officials determine the best course of action is to close your library, I encourage you to continue working to provide resources and value to your communities in ways that allow library staff to remain safe and continue working.  Here are some innovative ways Arizona libraries are maintaining service in the midst of this pandemic:   ·         Offering additional online resources   ·         Providing curbside or drive-thru pickup of ma

Dear Esteemed AzLA Members, I am so pleased to have the opportunity to represent your interests and work with you as AzLA President for the next 12 months.  As I mentioned during the 2019 conference, I view library services from a holistic perspective, with each library type playing a key role in serving the citizens of Arizona.  Because the Arizona Library Association represents the interests of all libraries, the organization is well-suited to address all our needs in service of that mission. Our priority at AzLA is to promote service and librarianship in libraries of all types throughout the state of Arizona.  During my term as president, I will work with the Executive Board and the membership to advocate for our school libraries through the Arizona School Boards Association (ASBA) which will champion school libraries directly to those who vote on school library budgets. We will start a conversation with accreditation entities about requiring K-12s to have and support scho