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The ACRL New England Chapter is an all-volunteer organization, powered by passionate librarians and library workers.  There are many ways to get involved, and we would be delighted to have you join our team! Nominate yourself or someone else for an available position; see below for current opportunities and shared experiences from previously elected board members.

A new benefit effective this year: the Chapter will fund the Vice President's and President's required ALA and ACRL national memberships each year.

Once elected, Chapter officers will begin service on June 5, 2023 (with the exception of the treasurer-elect, who will assume office on July 1, 2023).

The deadline to submit a nomination is 11:59pm EST on Monday, April 3, 2023.

Current Opportunities

  • Vice President/President-Elect (three-year term)
  • State Rep for Connecticut (two-year term)
  • State Rep for Massachusetts (two-year term)
  • State Rep for New Hampshire (two-year term)

Statements from Board Members

President

Erin Jerome

Erin Jerome, President

When a previous board member asked me if I’d consider running for Vice President / President Elect, I laughed. I’d always found the idea of leading any kind of group to be rather intimidating, something that was way beyond my comfort zone. And yet, after serving on the ACRL/NEC ad hoc strategic planning committee, I decided to throw my hat in the ring. This is a warm and welcoming group, eager to create a sense of community across New England, passionate about the Chapter and its successes, and it felt like the right time to test out my leadership skills. Plus, I love a good opportunity to collaborate and build community with colleagues beyond my own institution. Yes, the three-year commitment that you make as VP/President/Past President is daunting at the outset, but the fact that each year of your term has specific responsibilities (such as planning the Annual Conference as VP) associated with it makes it a bit easier to handle. Our Board members care deeply about the Chapter and about networking and professional development opportunities for their peers and colleagues. Having this team of dedicated folks beside me has made this experience all the better.


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Michael Rodriguez, Past Past President

How often do you get a chance to lead a nonprofit association of colleagues from across New England? Serving as Vice President and President of the ACRL New England Chapter has been a transformative learning and networking experience. I organized an annual conference, a major regional event with hundreds of attendees and more than thirty sponsorships. I chaired the Chapter’s planning committee, negotiated with hotels and vendors, and built from scratch my event management skills, collaborating deeply with more experienced colleagues. I presided over an organization and a board of directors, collaborated to develop a strategic framework, convened task forces, and more. Although I am only five years into my professional career, the Chapter empowered me to lead and contribute to the organization. Service with the Chapter enables library leaders, whether emerging or established, to gain skills in a welcoming, collegial, hardworking, and supportive environment. All you need is commitment and an enthusiastic and collaborative spirit. The Board affords exceptional professional networking opportunities. When you need anything, the entire Board of Directors and conference planners stand ready to help.

State Rep: Rhode Island

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Lisa Richter, Past RI Representative

Serving on the Board of the ACRL New England Chapter is an invaluable opportunity to work alongside some of the most dynamic library professionals in the region. We work together to develop fresh ideas for continuing the chapter’s success as an organization that is responsive and relevant to its members. One of the ways the chapter achieves success is via the Board positions of State Representative, one for each of the New England states. Each state representative seeks opportunities to increase connections and involvement between the chapter and academic library professionals and library school students in their constituent state. Our chapter’s representatives work independently on initiatives unique to their state; they also can work as a group to support one another, sharing ideas and best practices that can benefit constituents across the region. Professionals at all levels of librarianship benefit from networking and leadership development through Board service in ACRL/NEC.

Secretary

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Susanna Cowan, Secretary 

The role of Secretary is a great way to get to know the chapter – and to practice your “active listening” skills! The Secretary records the formal minutes for all Board meetings (about every two months) and the Annual Business meeting. Don’t worry, that only adds up to five meetings: August, October, January, March—and May (or June), when we hold the business meeting during the annual conference. I started as Secretary while the pandemic was already well underway, so the Board has met only virtually since March 2020. We’ve had to figure out some things out on the fly, but it’s pretty much down to a routine now (I’m sure you can relate). The great thing about virtual Board meetings is that we’ve had great attendance and participation. Of course, that can mean there’s lots of discussion – but you have a lot of control over how micro you get. Catching just the salient points and actions is fine!Although you spend lots of time listening and taking notes, the Secretary is very much an active member of the Board.  There are lots of opportunities to work on ad hoc and other committees.  Happy to talk more about the role: susanna.cowan@uconn.edu.

Treasurer-Elect/Treasurer 

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Megan Bresnahan, Treasurer

Serving as Treasurer for the ACRL New England Chapter has been a rewarding and valuable experience for me. I did not necessarily expect to find the role to be fun, but it has been! I have loved working with colleagues from around the region in this position, and I have learned so much about ACRL NEC as an organization. If you are a library worker looking to move up into positions of leadership or administration, it is often hard to get the experience in budgeting and financial administration that is required to step into many positions. In this role, you will gain practical experience managing budgets and financial processes for a non-profit. You will participate in strategic planning for the organization and plan budget allocations for the many working parts of the Chapter. In your first year as Treasurer-Elect, you will be working with and learning from an experienced treasurer (that’s me!). You can expect lots of mentorship and support as you transition to the full treasurer role in the second year of your term. I am currently working to move to a less paper-based bookkeeping model, so if thinking creatively about how to organize and streamline records is a strength of yours, this is your gig!

State Rep: Vermont

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Dan DeSanto, Past VT Representative

The Vermont State Representative to ACRL/NEC serves as the conduit for information, events, and opportunities that come from the chapter and also as Vermont’s voice in the leading regional professional development organization for academic librarians.  The role entails communication to librarians throughout the State as well as advocacy for Vermont’s often smaller and more rural academic libraries.

As a member of the ACRL/NEC Board, you are connected with librarians throughout New England and are able to expand the scope and depth of your connections with librarians at other institutions.  The Vermont State Representative position provides an opportunity to learn more about other institutions’ libraries, policies, trends, and organizational management. As the Vermont State Representative, you will expand your knowledge of the region’s libraries while getting to know other librarians who are committed to developing a robust professional organization for New England’s academic librarians.