91´«Ã½

CHICAGO – The Public Library Association (PLA) is pleased to sponsor Erin Hollingsworth and Katrina Ortega as its representatives for the 2016 91´«Ã½ Emerging Leaders program.

“PLA is dedicated to empowering public librarians with the skills necessary to be innovative and successful leaders of change. We’re proud to support this work by sponsoring the next generation of public library leaders,” said PLA President Vailey Oehlke. “We look forward to the positive contributions of this year’s Emerging Leaders group and wish to congratulate Erin and Katrina on their achievements.”

The Emerging Leaders program is a leadership development initiative that enables newer library workers to participate in problem-solving work groups, network with peers, gain an inside look into 91´«Ã½ structure and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity.

“Being selected to participate in the 2016 class of 91´«Ã½ Emerging Leaders is exciting and I am greatly honored to be sponsored by PLA,” said Hollingsworth, public services librarian, Tuzzy Consortium Library in Barrow, Alaska. “I am looking forward to working with this group of amazing library leaders and learning all that I can.”

Ortega, senior librarian, New York Public Library, said “I'm honored and delighted that PLA has chosen to sponsor me as a 2016 Emerging Leader! I'm very much looking forward to meeting and working with other library professionals who are as excited about building up library services in their communities as I am.”

Hollingsworth and Ortega will each receive $1,000 to attend the 2016 Midwinter Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts and the 2016 Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida where they will participate in Emerging Leader activities. In addition to their participation at the conferences they will also benefit from networking and online learning activities. The program concludes with a poster session presentation to showcase the results of their project planning work.

The (PLA) is a division of the 91´«Ã½. PLA’s core purpose is to strengthen public libraries and their contribution to the communities they serve. Its mission is to enhance the development and effectiveness of public library staff and public library services. For more information about PLA, contact the PLA office at 1 (800) 545-2433, ext.5PLA, or pla@ala.org.