Welcome to the 2022 APALA Elections! Elections open on Friday, April 1st, 2022 (12:00am Eastern Time) and end on Saturday, April 30th, 2022 (11:59PM Eastern Time). Please vote on Vice President/President Elect, Treasurer and Member at Large (two positions). We also need your votes for 6 amendments in order to make changes to our Constitution and Bylaws.
Each eligible voting member will receive a ballot via email. Eligible members include active members (Free, Library Support Staff, Life, Personal, Retiree, Student, Unemployed, and Corporate) in good standing on or before March 31st, 2022. Institutional members are ineligible to vote.
President-Elect/Vice President:
- Jaena Rae Cabrera
- Yen Tran
Treasurer:
- Kat Bell
Member At Large:
- Danilo Baylen
- Keno Catabay
- Jen Embree
- Nicole Marconi
- Melody Rood
- Kiyoko Shiosaki
Candidate Information
President-Elect/Vice President:
Jaena Rae Cabrera
Bio: Jaena Rae Cabrera is the branch manager for the Ocean View Branch of the San Francisco Public Library. At Ocean View, Jaena provides leadership for her staff and community, conducts outreach in the community, and coordinates programs, events and exhibits for the branch. She is also on the Cultural Awareness Committee for SFPL, which reviews and advises on system-wide practices and policies related to culturally relevant programming, exhibits, and outreach.
She has a Bachelor’s in journalism from San Francisco State University and a Master’s in Library and Information Science from Syracuse University. Before becoming a librarian, she was a web producer for Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting. Jaena is also on the committee that hosts and organizes the Filipino American International Book Festival in San Francisco.
Currently, Jaena is APALA’s treasurer, and has been an APALA member since grad school, back in 2011. She was also a member-at-large on the APALA Executive Board in 2018, and served several terms as co-chair for the Media & Publicity Committee. Her interests include intersectionality, diversity and equity in LIS, mental health, and the literary Filipino diaspora. In her free time, she watches reruns of her favorite shows, tinkers on her blog, explores the Bay Area via hikes, and spends way too much time on libraryland Twitter.
Statement of Interest: It is such a great honor to be nominated for APALA Vice President/President-Elect. Transparency, accountability and community are values that I consider paramount to our field. In my work as a librarian and manager, I have learned much about coordinating professional efforts with colleagues, our community and a variety of San Francisco institutions. I have also learned that transparency and accountability go hand-in-hand. My vision for APALA will spotlight our collective expertise and further our organization’s commitment to social justice and EDI values. As VP/President-Elect, I would be committed to developing, upholding and promoting APALA’s activities, presence and voice at the local, national and international levels. Together, as professionals and members of the global majority, we will grow and uplift each other in ways that are mutually beneficial to ourselves and the community.
APALA has been my professional home ever since I decided to join the LIS community. I’ve served on the Media and Publicity Committee since I started graduate school in 2011. As co-chair, I ensured our newsletter was published quarterly, and coordinated publications across committees and task forces on the APALA website. As member-at-large, I served as liaison for the Media and Publicity Committee, as well as the Intersectionality Task Force. This past year, I’ve had the honor of being elected treasurer and have since managed our financial accounts and kept them in good standing. I hope to continue serving APALA as VP/President-Elect, helping to enrich APALA’s offerings and ensure stronger connections within the Asian Pacific American LIS community.
Yen Tran
Bio: Yen Tran is the coordinator for teaching and learning at Seattle University. Within Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), Yen has served as a member-at-large (2020-2022), as co-chair (2019-2020) and member (2018-2019) of the finances and fundraising committee, as category chair (2016-2017; 2010-2012) and member (2013-2014) for the literature awards committee, and as member of the newsletter and publications committee (2011-2015). Yen has also served nationally, including serving as an American Library Association (ALA) Councilor-at-large (2015-2018) and as a member of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) conference contributed papers committee (2019-2021; 2022-2023), ALA’s value of academic libraries committee (2018-2020), and ALA’s Committee on Diversity (2015-2019). Yen has published and presented on a variety of topics within the library and information science field; a current project is an ACRL Press co-edited book that will focus on approaches for increasing outreach, engagement, and use with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students. Yen has been and continues to be deeply involved within the field of librarianship.
Statement of Interest: When I talk about APALA to potential or current members, I talk about it as my professional home for more than a decade; I joined APALA when I began my first professional library job and have never regretted it. It is an organization that has welcomed me and given me many opportunities to learn and grow as a librarian and as an individual.
After a year of observing, connecting, and participating in APALA activities, I decided to serve. During my time in APALA, I have served on variety of committees in different capacities, including as co-chair the finances and fundraising committee where we initiated the $40 for 40th anniversary campaign; as the category chair of two literature awards committees where I was responsible for making sure everyone received the eligible titles and discussed a winner and an honorable mention; and a member of the newsletter and publications committee where I was the newsletter editor. I currently serve on the executive board as a member-at-large where I liaise with the marketing and publications committee and the local arrangement committee, participate in decision-making, and engage in ad hoc projects.
I would be honored to have the opportunity to serve as APALA’s Vice President/President Elect. I believe my current and past participation in APALA, as well as knowledge of the association make me well suited for this role. I hope that you will allow me the opportunity to help APALA continue to fulfill its missions and goals as the Vice President/President Elect.
Treasurer:
Kat Bell
Bio: Kathleen “Kat” Kim Bell is currently Head, Assessment and Planning at George Mason University Libraries. She works collaboratively across Mason Libraries to support assessment, strategic planning, and DEI activities. She helped launch the Libraries’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council and is chairing the Libraries’ working group to develop an inclusive excellence plan, a university and statewide initiative. She is also involved in the university’s Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Center as a Racial Healing Circle facilitator.
She serves on several committees for the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), Joint Conference of Librarians of Color (JCLC), the Conference on Academic Library Management (CALM), and other Virginia and DC-area organizations. She is a 2018 graduate of the Minnesota Institute. Before joining Mason, she worked in a variety of archives, museums, and nonprofits. She has a BA and MA in dance, an MLS, and, most recently, an MS in organization development and knowledge management.
Statement of Interest: I am honored to be nominated for the APALA Treasurer position. I have served on the Finance and Fundraising Committee since 2017, co-chairing the committee since 2019. As I prepare to roll off the F&F committee, I am excited by this new opportunity with APALA.
With much support from co-chairs, committee members, and APALA’s Executive Board, I helped F&F launch several new initiatives.
- Bookshop
- Bonfire
- Solidarity by Design: APALA @ Home T-Shirt Design Contest
- $40 for 40th Anniversary Campaign
- New audit procedures for Treasurer’s report
- Fundraising brochure for Talk Story, in partnership with the Family Literacy Focus Committee and AILA
I also helped with the last Treasurer transition, and have learned a lot from working with Jaena Rae Cabrera and Peter Spyers-Duran. I have also served APALA through the Strategic Plan 2021-2026 Task Force and the Local Arrangements Committee (ALA Annual 2019 and 2022).
I have lots of experience with spreadsheets and some experience with budget management that would also be valuable to my term as Treasurer, and I look forward to the opportunity to continue serving the APALA membership.
Member-At-Large
Danilo Baylen
Bio: Danilo Madayag Baylen is an instructional technology, media, and design faculty at the University of West Georgia and completed graduate degrees in Instructional Technology, Elementary Education, Library and Information Studies, and Counseling. Danilo studies visual representations of identity, relationships, and culture in Asian children’s literature in addition to teaching and researching. He published work on visual and media literacy education and 21st-century skills development; co-edited Essentials of Teaching and Integrating Visual and Media Literacy (2015, Springer) that received the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) 2016 publication award. Also, he co-edited a publication focusing on LIS Education in the Asia-Pacific region (2020), served as editor-in-chief of The Book of Selected Readings of the International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA, 2018-2020), and sits on multiple editorial boards.
Danilo shares his work at international and national scholarly meetings sponsored by AECT, IVLA, USBBY, Children’s Literature Association (ChLA), and Philippine Librarians Association, Inc. (PLAI). Finally, he completed leadership roles such as serving as President of the Georgia Association for Instructional Technology (GAIT), AECT Executive Secretary to the Board, and IVLA vice president and board member. In addition, he served in several book selection award committees, including the ALSC Batchelder (2019-2020), APALA Youth (2021-2022) and Children (2022-2023) Literature, and the USBBY Outstanding List of Books for Young People with Disabilities (2018-2019, 2020-2021). He participated in the APALA/CALA Path to Leadership Forum (2022) and ALA Libraries Ready to Code Task Force (2018-2019). Currently, he is engaged in conference program planning for JCLC (2021-2022).
Statement of Interest: My passion for reading children’s books extends to studying authentic visual and narrative storytelling representations in the last decade. After completing my MLIS degree almost a decade ago, I searched for a professional LIS home. I found camaraderie with Filipino librarians while conducting research in southeast Asia and scholarly inspirations in communing with various participants in conferences sponsored by USBBY and ChLA. These interactions connected me to individuals that opened doors to new opportunities and engagement with APALA, ALSC, ALISE, and the Georgia Library Association.
As an instructional technology, media, and design professional, my primary role involves educating teachers and school librarians to design learning experiences using appropriate technology tools and print and digital resources. Libraries have become critical spaces for growth and a haven for those living in the margins. Being an APALA member gives me the freedom to connect my cultural roots with professional endeavors as an educator.
In throwing my name into the hat, I believe I bring valuable experiences of leadership roles through my affiliation with past and current professional organizations. My past activities taught me to become an active participant and engaged citizen in an organization — as a mentor, reviewer, program planner, editor, committee member, or chair. All are assets to serving as APALA board member-at-large. Finally, if elected, I plan to contribute in multiple ways, from sharing perspectives on leadership, program development, and member engagement and growth strategies.
I look forward to supporting the APALA leadership in nurturing members’ professional development needs.
Keno Catabay
Bio: Keno Catabay received his BA in English and MLS from Florida State University, where he volunteered at the local public library and worked at the undergraduate circulation desk. He eventually became a graduate assistant for Technical Services at FSU, working under the Metadata Analyst Librarian. After graduation, Keno became a Children’s Librarian in the Miami-Dade Public Library System. He currently is the Cataloging and Metadata Librarian at the University of Northern Colorado. A tenure-track librarian, Keno’s research interests revolve around issues in subject cataloging, inclusive descriptions and access points of library resources, and the information behavior of Asian-American students in higher education. Around campus, he is involved with the APIU (Asian Pacific Islander Union) and will serve as the Faculty Liaison to APASS (Asian Pacific American Student Services) in Fall 2022. APASS provides services that promote the cultural, academic, emotional, and professional success of the Asian and Pacific Islander student population at the University of Northern Colorado.
Statement of Interest: I am nominating myself to serve as Board Member-at-Large. I joined APALA last year and have been serving on the Media & Publicity Committee as well, but I am interested in becoming more involved with the organization – especially after attending the two-day “Path to Leadership…” forum. Receiving my MLS in 2019, I very much consider myself an early-career librarian, and I want to soak in as much information from leaders within the APALA community as possible. I believe that the Member-at-Large position is a good fit for me as completing the Executive Board’s miscellaneous duties is an effective way to learn the ins-and-outs of a professional organization. Despite often being the younger person in the room, I am unafraid to speak up when I deem it necessary. Vocalizing my opinions towards Asian erasure around campus to my university’s Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion lead to his recommendation to appoint me as Faculty Liaison to APASS. Last year, I gave an hour-long presentation at two separate conferences entitled “Social Justice Cataloging: Engaging with the LCSH,” where I explained ways that all library workers can familiarize themselves with their bibliographic records for the better of their community. I also serve on many committees throughout my university, including Library Marketing, Student Success, and the Board of Athletic Control. I am a cataloger, which is often the invisible voice in libraries. However, as the only Asian individual of my organization, I feel compelled to put my foot forward at every opportunity. Thank you.
Jen Embree
Bio: Jennifer Embree is the Sustainability Hub Coordinator and Subject Librarian for Biology, Psychology, Comparative Literature, Latin American and Caribbean Area Studies, and Translation Research at Binghamton University. She is an early-career librarian that has worked at Binghamton since 2018, after graduating with her MSLS from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
She has been an active member of APALA since 2018, having served on the APALA Media & Publicity Committee from 2018-2019 and on the APALA Scholarships & Awards Committee from 2019 onwards. She is currently serving in her second year as a co-chair of the Scholarships & Awards Committee.
Statement of Interest: I am thrilled to put forth my self-nomination for the position of Member-at-Large on the APALA Executive Board. Although I haven’t been an APALA member for long, I have already had such an enriching and transformative experience being involved in this incredible organization. I joined in 2018 about a month after I had started my first professional position as a librarian. I was still so new to the world of academic librarianship at the time, and APALA quickly became my refuge from the imposter syndrome that (very) often plagued me during my first couple of years in this profession. The first committee that I served on outside of my own internal library system was an APALA committee (Media & Publicity), and I felt immediately welcomed and at ease working with other APALA members in a way that was so refreshing and unique. Since then, I have only continued to seek opportunities to participate in and contribute to APALA. I have been a mentee in the APALA mentorship program and I currently am serving as the co-chair of the APALA Scholarships & Awards Committee.
Overall, I feel so honored to be a part of this organization, and I can’t imagine any better way to contribute, connect, and collaborate with the APALA community than to serve as a Member-at-Large. I have loved every moment that I have been a member of APALA, and I hope to continue to grow my service and build my leadership skills by joining the Executive Board.
Nicole Marconi
Bio: Nicole Marconi (she/her/hers) is the new Access Services Manager at the Hoboken Public Library. She holds an MSLIS from Pratt Institute, an MFA from the Yale School of Drama in Stage Management, and a BA in Drama Studies from SUNY Purchase.
Nicole has a strong background in the performing arts, and was a professional stage manager in the theater industry for over twelve years. She has worked at the Library for the Performing Arts as well as the Newark Public Library. Nicole is a member of NJLA, SAA, ALA, and APALA as well as the Archivists Round Table New York.
Statement of Interest: My name is Nicole Marconi and I’m so excited to be running for Board Member at Large. I firmly believe in the power of APALA and its members. I believe that visibility for the AAPI community in the library and information science field is extremely important.
I recently graduated from the Pratt School of Information with my MSLIS with a concentration in archives and public libraries. I have worked in the Public Programs department at the Library for the Performing Arts @ NYPL and have over twelve years of experience as a professional stage manager in the theater industry. I also served as an officer for the 2020-2021 academic year on both the board of PALA (Pratt’s chapter of ALA) and SAAP (Pratt’s student chapter of SAA). While on the board of both of these student groups, I planned multiple events with many guest speakers and helped to coordinate many other events as well. I have worked at the Newark Public Library and am currently the new head of Access Services at the Hoboken Public Library.
Thank you so much for your consideration. I look forward to hopefully serving all of you!
Melody Rood
Bio: Melody Lee Rood is the Student Success & Open Education Librarian at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she serves as a liaison to the International and Global Studies Program, the Library and Information Science Program, as well as the library’s Open Educational Resources Initiatives. She received her MLS from North Carolina Central University and her BA from the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Her research interests include student success and outreach for nontraditional students, open pedagogy, and DEI initiatives.
Statement of Interest: I am nominating myself as somebody who would like to participate more in the APALA community. While I’ve been a member of APALA for a couple years now, I joined right before the pandemic and immediately found myself in a place where it was not healthy for me to take on additional service outside of my immediate responsibilities. Unfortunately, this meant missing out on opportunities to create community during a time when I felt isolated as a mixed Asian librarian. Since then, I have intentionally made time to look for opportunities to give back and be in community with BIPOC librarians. Looking at the composition and responsibilities of the Members at Large, I believe that I have the necessary qualifications to carry out the tasks. Additionally, the communication responsibilities would naturally create opportunities for me to establish community connections.
Kiyoko Shiosaki
Bio: Kiyoko Shiosaki is a queer nikkei yonsei living on occupied xučyun Ohlone territory in the Bay Area. She is an Undergraduate Learning and Research Librarian at UC Berkeley and holds an MLIS from San Jose State University and a BA in Sociology from San Francisco State University. Kiyoko is a Spectrum Scholar (2014-15) and was supported by the APALA mentoring program, which led her to serve on the APALA mentoring committee.
Statement of Interest: I would be honored to serve as a Member-at-Large on the 2022-24 APALA Board. I want to be part of community building and change, working with people I deeply respect. I have much gratitude for the work of APALA and the professional development support, mentoring connections, and visibility created in this space. I would like to help facilitate communications and organizing among the APALA committees and membership, and within the larger community of library workers of color. I am committed to show up, be present, and held accountable for working collaboratively with this amazing group. Thank you for considering my nomination.