Cindy Hohl is a librarian at the Kansas City Public Library. In 2023, Hohl was elected as president of the American Library Association for the 2024–2025 term. She previously served as the president of the American Indian Library Association and currently serves as the treasurer of the Freedom to Read Foundation.
Cindy Hohl | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President of the American Library Association | |
| Assumed office July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Emily Drabinski |
| Succeeded by | Sam Helmick |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Librarian |
Early life and education
editCindy Hohl is a member of the Santee Sioux Nation of Nebraska.[1]
Career in librarianship
editHohl worked in marketing and communications before transitioning to a career in librarianship, in part because of the encouragement of her husband, who is also a librarian.[2] Her first position in a library was as a customer experience manager at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library, where she worked from 2014 to 2017.[2]
In April 2023, Hohl was elected as president of the American Library Association (ALA) for 2024–2025.[2] After her election was announced, she discussed her intention to lobby against library defunding and book bans, which have significantly increased in the United States since 2021.[2] Hohl is the second Native American to be elected president of ALA, after Loriene Roy.[2]
From 2020 to 2021, Hohl was the president of the American Indian Library Association[1] In that role she was a committee member on the Joint Council of Librarians of Color.[3] She is the co-chair of the Spectrum Scholarship Advisory Council, which recruits Black, Indigenous, and people of color to the library field.[2] Hohl has co-chaired ALA's Working Group to Condemn White Supremacy and Fascism and has been a member of ALA's Rural, Native, and Tribal Libraries of All Kinds Committee.[4][2] Hohl is a board trustee and the treasurer of the Freedom to Read Foundation as well as serving as a standing member on the Indigenous Matters Section of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions.[5]
American Library Association Presidency
editHohl's first presidential column, July 2024, in American Libraries, "A Good Way for ALA: It's Time to Reaffirm Our Core Values." focused on the need to make sustainable decisions for the good of every living being.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b "Kansas City Public Library's Cindy Hohl Elected to National Office". Kansas City Public Library. 13 July 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Brooks IV, Lawrence; Kraske, Steve; Wilson, Zach (14 April 2023). "The American Library Association has elected its first president from Kansas City". KCUR. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ^ Diaz-Camacho, Vicky (16 September 2022). "Students, Librarians and Bookstore Owners Push Back on Book Bans". Flatland. Kansas City PBS. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ^ "ALA Committee on Diversity" (PDF). American Library Association. 19 January 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ^ "Library's Cindy Hohl Elected to National, International Positions". Kansas City Public Library. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ^ A Good Way for ALA: It's time to reaffirm our core values. American Libraries." July 24, 2024.