Loriene Roy was inaugurated as ALA President on Tuesday evening, June 26. 2007.  It was a wonderful event, but what made it wonderful was that Loriene is the first Native American to become ALA President.  As many presidents before her, she will be a terrific representative of our profession.  During her year as president she will continue the great things ALA is doing and introduce some new and exciting opportunities.

Loriene’s platform issues as she describes them on her website (http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~loriene/prez_elect/index.html) are: "I am particularly interested in focusing our combined efforts on supporting LIS education through practice; including everyone into the circle of knowledge through literacy; spotlighting workplace wellness; and encouraging more ALA members to participate in the association to enjoy its benefits and strengthen our combined voice."  With this major agenda she has established three task forces. 

Circle of Literacy Task Force (http://literacy-circle.blogspot.com/) This group will produce programs reflecting the support of literacy across the Lifespan with special focuses on indigenous youth, immigrants, and those incarcerated. Among the things libraries can expect from this are

1. A Gathering of Readers event celebrating indigenous reading and culture around the world. A prototype of this event can be found at http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~gathread;
2. Collaborating with WGBH-Boston to support library programming associated with We Shall Remain which is a part of the award-winning PBS AMERICAN EXPERIENCE series and will be an indepth view of Native Americans 

Supporting LIS Education Through Practice Task Force (http://lis-education.blogspot.com/) will assist LIS students in acquiring practical experience and distributing results of these experiences to other students and prospective employers.
Among the programs libraries can expect from this are

1. National Oral History Program by working with retiring librarians
2. National Library Camp
3. Meeting Effectives Training
4. Developing a searchable database of national and international practicum/fieldwork/capstone experiences;

Workplace Wellness Task Force (http://workplace-wellness.blogspot.com/) is to produce services that promote healthy workplaces and lifestyles among library workers.
Among the programs libraries can expect from this are

1. Developing a personal health passport for ALA members.
2. Wellness Fair to take place at the 2008 ALA Conference in Anaheim
3. Creating a workplace environmental scan that can be used to review working conditions that may impact worker health;

What is most exciting about all of these initatives is that Loriene is partnering within and outside of ALA.  It should be an exciting and great year for ALA.  Don’t forget that Loriene Roy will be a key speaker at the upcoming ILA conference in Springfield.  She is sponsored by the Illinois Library Systems.  Lastly, if you are not a member of ALA I encourage you to consider joining.

Loriene Roy, newly inaugurated president of ALA, will speak at the upcoming ILA Conference in Springfield.