Alaska Library Association not down with Bronson appointee Judy Eledge
A letter sent by the Alaska Library Association (AKLA) to the Anchorage Assembly details the nonprofit organization's concerns about an individual they say does not meet the qualifications defined in the description for the position of Director of the Anchorage Public library.
The Alaska Library Association is a nonprofit professional organization for employees, volunteers and advocates at academic, public, school, and special libraries of all sizes in Alaska, as well as for vendors of library products and services.
In their letter to the Anchorage Assembly, AKLA argues that the appointment of an individual who does not meet the qualifications defined in the position's job description is comparable to the appointment of a police or fire chief without any prior police or fire fighting training or experience. The organization also said they are concerned that a director with no prior experience working in libraries is "not an appropriate choice to lead Alaska's largest public library system."
The Executive Council of AKLA strongly encouraged the Anchorage Assembly to follow a "Civil Service process" for the appointment, writing that "a national search and selection based on the approved job description and qualifications will ensure finding the professional skills, competencies, and experience that are appropriate for a library of this size and importance."
On September 6, Growing Alaskan Leaders (GALS) took the unusual step of issuing an action alert over Eledge's appointment as Director of the Anchorage Public Library System. GALS called Eledge, an “unsuccessful” Anchorage School Board candidate who has shared “racist, homophobic, transphobic, and xenophobic public statements” on social media. On August 28, The Blue Alaskan documented some of Eledge's previous social media posts.
You can read AKLA's letter to the Anchorage Assembly below.
