Emerging Leaders: Welcoming Students to ALSC

Hyunjin Han and Ashley Bressingham

The American Library Association (ALA) Emerging Leaders (EL) program enables newer library workers from across the country to participate in problem-solving work groups, network with peers, gain an inside look into ALA structure, and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity. As a part of the program, participants work in groups on a research project and display the result of their work during the ALA Annual Conference.

Four members of the 2022 EL class—Megan Jackson, Hyunjin Han, Ashley Bressingham, and Ewa Wojciechowska, also known as Team K, worked on Welcoming and Engaging Students in ALSC and Children’s Services (see infographic).

Early in 2022, participants met virtually during LibLearnX: The Library Learning Experience (LLX). From January to June 2022, the EL program featured group workshops as well as webinars and a team project.

The project was an exciting challenge, and through collaboration, each member found their strength very quickly as well as communicated easily and efficiently. By the end of the program, we had both gained lifelong supporters and recommendations for how ALSC can better support their student populations. &