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CHICAGO – The Public Library Association (PLA) is pleased to sponsor Heather Novotny and Heather Thompson as its representatives for the 2017 91´«Ã½ Emerging Leaders program.

"PLA doesn’t just improve library services, we build library leaders,” said PLA President Felton Thomas, Jr. “By sponsoring the Emerging Leaders program, we’re supporting our mission to cultivate a community of talented library professionals. We look forward to the positive contributions of this year’s leaders and wish to congratulate Heather [Novotny] and Heather [Thompson] 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.

“It's such an honor to be selected as a 2017 91´«Ã½ Emerging Leader,” said Novotny, librarian, The McGillis School in Salt Lake City, Utah. “I'm grateful to PLA for sponsoring me, and I'm excited to begin learning from and collaborating with other early career librarians.”

Thompson, youth programming librarian, Kenosha (Wisc.) Public Library, said "I am truly honored to have been selected as a 2017 Emerging Leader, as well as chosen for sponsorship by PLA. I can't wait to meet and collaborate with all of the dynamic individuals in this year's class of Emerging Leaders!"

Novotny and Thompson will each receive funds to attend the 2017 Midwinter Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia and the 2017 Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois 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.

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The (PLA) is the largest association dedicated to supporting the unique and evolving needs of public library professionals. Founded in 1944, PLA serves nearly 9,000 members in public libraries large and small in communities across the United States and Canada, with a growing presence around the world. PLA strives to help its members shape the essential institution of public libraries by serving as an indispensable ally for public library leaders. For more information about PLA, contact the PLA office at 1 (800) 545-2433, ext.5PLA, or pla@ala.org.