ALSC selects Georgina Rivas-Martinez as 2019 Emerging Leader

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), announced Georgina Rivas-Martinez of the South Huntington Public Library, in South Huntington, NY as its representative in the 2019 Emerging Leader program.

Georgina Rivas-Martinez is a Youth Services Librarian at the South Huntington Public Library where she designs and facilitates youth programs along with being responsible for Spanish language collection development. In May 2017, she graduated with her Master of Library Science (MLS) from Long Island University Post. During her time at LIU Post Rivas-Martinez also interned at the Port Washington Public Library, assisting with their ESOL program and collection development. Additionally, in 2016, she was awarded the REFORMA Northeast Lillian Marrero Scholarship for her commitment to serving the Latinx community.

“I strive to make sure our patrons can see that the library is culturally responsive and receptive to their needs,” said Rivas-Martinez. “My hope would be to work with other leaders and promote ALA, share what libraries mean, and work as a team to make that happen.”

“We are delighted to welcome Georgina as our 2019 ALSC sponsored Emerging Leader,” said ALSC President, Jamie Campbell Naidoo. “Her experience with associations outside of ALA along with her commitment to working with diverse communities will greatly benefit ALSC, ALA and the Emerging Leaders Program. We look forward to seeing how the Emerging Leader experience supports her future work within the profession."

As ALSC’s representative for the 2019 Emerging Leader program, Rivas-Martinez will attend the 2019 Midwinter Meeting in Seattle, as well as the 2019 ALA Annual Conference in Washington, DC.

The Emerging Leaders program enables newer librarians from across the country to participate in workgroups, network with peers, gain an inside look into ALA's structure and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity. Emerging Leaders receive up to $1,000 each to participate in the Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference, and each participant is expected to provide years of service to ALA or one of its units.

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) is driven by more than 4,000 members dedicated to the support and enrichment of library service to children. Our members include youth librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty. ALSC supports its members in engaging communities to build healthy, successful, futures for all children. To learn more about ALSC and how to join, please visit our website at www.ala.org/alsc.