91´«Ã½

Robert Bittner, independent consultant and educator, Langley, British Columbia (BC), has been elected vice president/president-elect of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½). He will become president-elect in July 2023 and assume the presidency in July 2024.

“I am honored and humbled by this chance to serve the ALSC membership,” Bittner said. “ALSC has provided me with so many opportunities over the last decade, and I look forward to helping provide similar opportunities to others during my term. It is also my goal to work with ALSC members to ensure that young people continue to have access to—and engagement with—diverse and inclusive literature.”

Bittner has a BA in English from Simon Fraser University (SFU) and went on to complete the Master of Arts in Children’s Literature program at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 2011. He received his PhD in Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies from SFU in 2017 and was awarded a Doctoral Research Fellowship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

Bittner undertook a Postdoctoral Research and Teaching Fellowship, 2018-20, at UBC, with funding from SSHRC. His research focused on queer and trans youth reading habits and LGBTQ+ representation in YA and children’s literature.

During his 11 years of ALSC membership, Bittner has served as chair of the ALSC Caldecott Award Selection Committee (2021-23), as a member of the ALSC Nominations and Leadership Development Committee (2019-21), ALSC Children's Literature Legacy Award Committee (2018-20), ALSC Grants Administration Committee (2015-17) and ALSC Newbery Award Selection Committee (2012-14) and as co-chair of the ALSC Valuation and Advocacy Research Task Force (2015-17).

Bittner is active in the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and has chaired YALSA’s Selection and Awards Oversight Committee (2018-22) and served on the Printz Award Committee (2015-16), VOYA Research Grant Jury (2013-14, 2016-17) and Mentorship Task Force (2011). He is also a member of the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT) and served as a member on the Rainbow Round Table’s Rainbow Book List Cmommittee (2018) and Stonewall Book Award Committee (2012-13).

In addition to his work within 91´«Ã½, Bittner has served as chair (2021-23) and member (2019-21) of the BC and Yukon Book Prizes Society and as a member of BC and Yukon Book Prizes Society’s Seila Egoff Children's Literature Prize Jury (2011-12). Bittner currently is serving on the Board of Directors of the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the National Council of Teachers of English. He was a member of the Assembly’s Bill Konigsberg Award Committee in 2020.

Four members were elected to serve on the ALSC Board of Directors: Danielle Jones, Multnomah County Library, Portland, Ore., director-at-large; Allison Knight, Dayton (Ohio) Metro Library, director-at-large; Katie Lawrence, Grandville (Mich.) Public Schools, director-at-large; and Julie Roach, Cambridge (MA) Public Library, ALSC division councilor.

The newly elected vice president, division councilor and directors-at-large will be seated to the ALSC Board of Directors in June 2023, at the close of the 91´«Ã½ Annual Conference in Chicago.

In addition, all proposed Bylaws changes on the ballot were adopted. For complete details about these changes, please visit the ALSC website at /alsc/aboutalsc/governance/election/2023_results.

About the Association for Library Service to Children

ALSC is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. With a network of more than 4,000 children’s and youth librarians, literature experts, publishers, and educational faculty, ALSC members are committed to engaging communities to build healthy, successful futures for all children. To learn more about ALSC, visit their website at .

About the 91´«Ã½

The 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½) is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more than 140 years, the 91´«Ã½ has been the trusted voice for academic, public, school, government and special libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit.