FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: 11/17/2022 Contact: Manny Galvez, Public Relations Specialist Email: manny-galvez@icpl.org Phone: 319-356-5200
Iowa City Public Library's Sam Helmick Runs for ALA Presidency
The American Library Association (ALA) has announced the candidates for its 2025–2026 presidency, and we are proud to share that Sam Helmick, our Community and Access Services Coordinator at the Iowa City Public Library, is one of the distinguished nominees.
Sam Helmick currently serves on the ALA Executive Board and as president of the Iowa Library Association. Their dedication to literacy and community service is evident through their roles, which have included chair-elect on the Freedom to Read Foundation, chair of the Iowa Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee, and chair of the Iowa Governor's Commission of Libraries.
Helmick has been a proactive and inclusive member of various committees, such as the Network of the National Library of Medicine, Young Adult Library Services Association Fundraising Task Force, the Rainbow Roundtable’s Stonewall Book Awards Committee, the LGBTQIA+ Open to All toolkit task force, ALA Libraries Transform campaign, among others.
With a master's in library and information science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a bachelor's in human services from Iowa Wesleyan University, Helmick's educational background enriches their contributions to our Library and community. Their commitment is not just limited to library services but extends to being an author, consultant, and instructor in social media marketing and graphic design.
Reflecting on this nomination, Sam Helmick stated, “Libraries are cornerstones of knowledge, equity, and community. Every day, library workers and those we serve, breathe life into opportunity and civil engagement. As a lifelong exponent of literacy and a staunch believer in the transformative power of our work, it is an honor to run for the presidency of ALA and to leverage this opportunity to connect, celebrate, and advocate libraries,”
Connect with Sam on the ICPL Bookmobile on Tuesday mornings, at the Downtown Library Help Desk, or at sam-helmick@icpl.org to share your vision for library services. “Our stories are worth sharing,” they remarked, “and I’m both delighted and humbled to learn and share yours.”
We invite all Iowa City Library patrons to support Sam Helmick in this journey. The ALA will host a virtual candidates' forum on Feb. 8, 2024, at 2 p.m. Central, where Helmick will share their vision and answer member questions. Registration for the forum is available online.
The Iowa City Public Library is a center of community life that connects people of all ages with information, engages them with the world of ideas and with each other, and enriches the community by supporting learning, promoting literacy, and encouraging creativity.
