Courtney Young is an American librarian and scholar, who served as the president of the
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world.
History 19th century ...
for the 2014–2015 year. On June 30, 2015, her term as ALA President ended, and she passed the title on to
Sari Feldman.
Education and career
Young received a BA in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
from
The College of Wooster
{{Infobox university
, image = College of Wooster seal.png
, image_upright = .6
, name = The College of Wooster
, former_names = University of Wooster (1866–1915)
, motto ...
in 1996, and an
MLS
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanctioned by the United ...
from
Simmons College
Institutions of learning called Simmons College or Simmons University include:
* Simmons University
Simmons University (previously Simmons College) is a private university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1899 by ...
the following year. She currently serves as University Librarian at
Colgate University
Colgate University is a Private university, private college in Hamilton, New York, United States. The Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York ...
. Young was previously the Head Librarian and Professor of
Women's Studies
Women's studies is an academic field that draws on Feminism, feminist and interdisciplinary methods to place women's lives and experiences at the center of study, while examining Social constructionism, social and cultural constructs of gender; ...
at
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...
, Greater Allegheny campus. Young has previously worked at other campuses of
Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with ca ...
, as well as at
Michigan State University
Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...
and
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
.
Honors and committee work
Young was a 2011
Library Journal
''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...
Mover & Shaker – Change Agent. She was honored for her work to highlight issues of diversity in libraries and academia.
Additionally, Young has served as a member for several ALA boards and roundtables, including the ALA Executive Board, New Member's Round Table, ALA Resolutions Committee and the ALA Task Force on Electronic Member Participation.
ALA presidency
Young was inaugurated as president of the
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world.
History 19th century ...
at the 2014 ALA Annual Conference in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
. She served as president until the conclusion of the 2015 ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco, when President-elect
Sari Feldman was sworn in as president.
During her tenure as president, Young continued her work with ALA's Special Presidential Task Force on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. She also supported a new Career Development Facilitator program from ALA's Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment. Additionally, Young has used her presidency to provide resources to help the ALA bolster its social media presence.
In 2024 Young was named chair of the American Library Association's 150th anniversary commemoration.
ALA launches campaign as it nears its 150th anniversary
American Library Association, February 23, 2024.
Publications
*Young, Courtney. “Collaboration as a Key Component of Library Service: A Presidential Perspective.” ''Collaborative librarianship'' 6.3 (2014): 121–123
*Young C, Diaz K. "E-reference: incorporating electronic publications into reference". ''Library Hi Tech Journal'' erial online March 1999;17(1):55–62. Available from: Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts, Ipswich, MA. Accessed January 11, 2016.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Courtney
Presidents of the American Library Association
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Librarians from Ohio
21st-century American women librarians
American women academics
American academics of women's studies
College of Wooster alumni
Simmons University alumni
Pennsylvania State University faculty
21st-century African-American academics
21st-century American academics
21st-century African-American women
21st-century American librarians