The Pennsylvania Library Association (PaLA) is participating in ALA’s Emerging Leaders Program, which enables 50 new librarians to get on the fast track to leadership within ALA and the library field. The Emerging Leader Program kicks off with a day-long leadership development session during the ALA Midwinter Meeting. Afterward, it grows and develops in an online learning and networking environment for six months.  The program culminates with a poster session presentation to display the results of the project planning work of each group at the ALA Annual Conference.

Participants commit to participating in all aspects of the program.  Participants may be offered an opportunity to serve on an ALA, division, chapter, or round-table committee, task force or workgroup as well as other library-related groups upon completion of program.  However, appointments are not guaranteed.

PaLA will select one member to represent Pennsylvania’s libraries.

ALA has set some eligibility requirements for this program. PaLA’s sponsored representative must meet the following criteria:
• ALA members; and
• New librarians (of any age) with fewer than five years post-MLS experience; and
• Hold a recent MLS degree from an ALA- or NCATE-accredited program, or are currently in an MLS program; and
• Able to attend both ALA conferences and collaborate virtually between meetings; and
• Ready to commit to serve on an ALA Division, Chapter, or Round Table committee, taskforce or workgroup upon completion of program.

In addition, for its support of the candidate, PaLA will ask the selected candidate to serve the Pennsylvania Library Association at the state or local level.
Applicants must be members of PaLA to qualify.

Completed applications should be sent to Christi Buker at christi@palibraries.org to share with the selection committee by September 7, 2016. 
Please see application details. Review of completed applications will be conducted and the selected PaLA representative will be notified by September 16, 2016.