Your name, current work place and position:
Joanna K. Fabicon, Senior Librarian of Children’s Services at Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL)
Where did you attend school for your MLIS degree?
UCLA ’05
How long have you been an APALA member? Why did you first join? Are you currently involved as an officer/committee member/other volunteer?
I’ve been an APALA member since 2015, when I moderated the panel “Choosing Leadership” at the 35th Anniversary & Symposium in San Francisco. Since then, I’ve served on the Membership Committee and the Award Committee for Children’s Literature. Currently, I’m the Co-Chair for the Membership Committee.
We’re very interested in the diversity of ethnic/cultural heritage within APALA. Please share your ethnic/cultural heritage with us and any other background information, as desired.
Filipino-American.
What aspects of librarianship are key to your personal satisfaction at work? Please share some of your professional goals and interests.
What has always drawn me to librarianship is the profound impact this work has on the community. Children’s librarians’ focus on early literacy sets people on the path toward lifelong learning. We seek out and promote resources that both mirror and reflect young people’s diverse experiences (and if we can’t find them, we demand them from publishers/creators). We provide safe, dynamic, and literacy-rich environments to bring people together. My professional goal is to continue to support the 75+ Children’s Librarians at LAPL as they develop best practices for serving youth and additionally, be the best advocates for those practices. When I think beyond my job, there are pervasive feelings of warmth and gratitude towards this profession. I would never be at this point in my career without the guidance and encouragement from fellow librarians, colleagues and mentors alike, and many of them APALA members. I hope to be the same for other librarians.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Being an APALA member helps inform my perspective and enthusiasm for the profession, and I hope to bring these and other leadership qualities to the Executive Board of the Association for Library Service to Children. If you’re an ALSC Member, I’d appreciate your vote. More information can be found on the ALSC Election site. Voting is open from March 12 – April 4.
This interview was conducted by Shanna Kim, with editorial assistance by Amanda Cheung.