Plans are underway for the election of the ILA ACRL Executive Board officers to take place Oct. 30 – Nov. 8, 2024. You’ll receive an email and link to the ballot when the voting period is open later this fall. You may request a paper ballot if you prefer.
Once the election has ended we’ll announce results via the ILA ACRL mailing list and post to our website. If you have questions, requests for paper ballots, or additional ‘from the floor’ nominations, please email Membership Committee Chair Jodie Morin (morinj@bvu.edu ).
Our thanks and gratitude to the members who have accepted nominations to serve our organization.
Please see the information below to find out more about our candidates for Vice President/President-Elect, Secretary/Treasurer, and Member At-Large offices for 2025.
ILA ACRL Vice President/President-Elect 2025 Candidates
Kris Stacy-Bates
I’m Kris Stacy-Bates, a Research Services Librarian at the Iowa State University Library in Ames, where I have worked for 27 years. I received my BS in Mathematics from ISU, and MA degrees in Mathematics and Library & Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. My position at ISU has evolved with the profession, but has always included components of reference, collection development and instruction. I currently co-chair the committee to oversee ISU’s implementation of the Primo VE discovery system, and serve on the curriculum team for LIB 1600, ISU’s one-credit information literacy course required for all undergraduates. During the past half-year, I’ve co-facilitated an ISU Library group meeting twice a month to discuss developments and issues in artificial intelligence and AI’s impact on academic libraries.
I’ve been active in ILA and ILA-ACRL since joining in 1998, serving on multiple ILA-ACRL committees and most recently chairing the Spring Conference Committee for the year leading up to the May 2024 conference at ISU. Thanks to my fantastic committee members and a lot of local expertise from other ISU Library staff, our “Sustainable Futures” conference drew in 131 attendees, dozens of great presentations and interest group discussions, and many positive comments.
Throughout my career, ILA-ACRL has been a valuable resource for professional development, networking, and connection to our colleagues around the state. This is an organization of individuals who are dedicated, knowledgeable librarians. But even more than that, ILA-ACRL members are approachable, supportive people. I want to do my part to ensure that our group will continue mentoring and sustaining academic and research library workers at all stages of their careers. When we support our members and colleagues around Iowa, we empower them to grow and maintain excellent libraries for our institutions and communities.
Katie DeVries
Katie DeVries (she/her) earned an AA from Kirkwood Community College, a BA in Anthropology from the University of Iowa, and her MLIS from The University of Iowa School of Library and Information Science. Before joining the academic library profession full-time, Katie engaged in four years of interdisciplinary social science research at Syracuse University. After Syracuse, Katie moved home to Iowa and spent the first eight years of her academic library career working as an Undergraduate Engagement Librarian. Katie is now working as a Social Sciences Librarian at the University of Iowa Libraries. Katie completed the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Assessment in Action Program and most recently completed the Institute of Museum and Library Services-funded Evidence Synthesis Institute. Katie is an ongoing member of ILA/ACRL and previously served as chair of the College Readiness Committee – a past committee formed of ILA/ACRL and IASL members aimed at supporting student success across the high school to college transition.
It is undeniable that our profession is facing challenges of new scales and importance. Organizations like ILA/ACRL provide the space and motivation for us to explore these challenges and to grow new ideas and best practices that fit the needs of professionals across our state. I would be honored to step back into a leadership role in our organization, and to serve as Vice-President/President-Elect. I look forward to the opportunity to help continue the great work already in process, to strategically sustain and support our membership, and to guide our organization in the new directions it is ready to explore.
ILA ACRL Secretary/Treasurer 2025-2026 Candidates
Sheri Muller
Sheri Muller has been at Grand View University for 21 years. Most recently as the Access Services Librarian and Archivist. Although her position focuses primarily on the library system, cataloging, and archives management, she also serves as an instruction librarian in Grand View’s first year experience course. Muller received a BA in English from the University of Iowa, an MLIS from the University of Iowa, and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Archives and Records Administration from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. She is a longtime member of ILA, ILA/ACRL, and IPAL. Past roles in ILA include serving on the Bylaws and Organizational Manual Committee and as the Chair of the Special Libraries Roundtable. Muller is active in the Central Iowa Collaborative Collections Initiative (CI-CCI), and recently ended her seven-year tenure as the secretary for that group.
“I see the librarians’ role in educating patrons is becoming more and more important and challenging in our ever-changing technological and information landscape. I feel that our statewide professional organizations are uniquely positioned to help librarians in the state meet these challenges with relevant programming and educational opportunities. I also feel it is important to give back to an organization that has played an important role in my development as a professional, and serving as secretary would provide me with that opportunity.”
Elizabeth Winter
Elizabeth Winter is the Library Director and Archivist at Divine Word College. In this capacity, they manage all aspects of library and archives operations. They received their BS in History from Truman State University and their MLIS from the University of Missouri-Columbia. They first became interested in working in cultural heritage institutions after graduating from Truman and moving to Philadelphia. Working as a library assistant at two public libraries provided valuable experience and motivation to pursue further education. During their MLIS program, they became especially interested in archives and records management, taking all of the courses offered in those areas, interning at multiple archives, and gaining hands-on experience accessioning, processing, arranging, and describing born-digital and paper records. After graduation they briefly worked as an archivist for the State Historical Society of Missouri before moving to Iowa. They have worked at Divine Word College in Epworth, Iowa, in various capacities since January 2020.
Both as a MLIS student and as an information professional, they have been actively involved in professional organizations. They were a student member for ALA, Missouri Association for Museums and Archives, Association of St. Louis Area Archivists, St. Louis Regional Library Network, Society of American Archivists Student Chapter (Vice-President), and Mizzou’s Library and Information Graduate Student Organization (Secretary). They also are/have been a member of ARMA International, an information management association, Midwest Archives Conference, and the Society of American Archivists.
They were Chair of the ILA Information Technology subdivision (2023) and currently serve as a member of the ILA/ACRL Electronic Communications Committee (2024). Beyond ILA they currently serve as the Vice-President/President elect of the Dubuque Area Library Information Consortium (2024-2025), and as an editorial board member for the Archival Issues journal. They are actively involved in two local initiatives: the Dubuque County Reads program (Program Planner) and the Dubuque Area History Expo.
“I appreciate being nominated for the Secretary/Treasurer position as it gives me the opportunity to increase my involvement and support of ILA/ACRL. Professional networks like ILA/ACRL are crucial to ensuring the dissemination of new ideas and practices, promoting the flow of information through cooperative agreements and resource sharing, and energizing library workers through community and shared experiences. ILA/ACRL particularly advances the library profession at the annual ILA/ACRL conference, which has been a bulwark for college and research libraries in Iowa since 1976.
“My background collecting and organizing records in the archives, creating handbooks and organization manuals, and serving in the role of secretary for various committees makes me well-suited for this position. In addition, as library director, I have hands-on experience with financial reporting. I will bring a diverse skill-set and enthusiasm to this role. Thank you for considering me for the role of Secretary/Treasurer.”
ILA ACRL Member At-Large 2025 Candidates
Lauren Claeys
Lauren Claeys (she/her) is a Cataloger at the University of Iowa Libraries. Originally from Maquoketa, Iowa, Lauren was involved with libraries from a young age as she joined her mother, who worked at the local public library, for weekend and after-school shifts. Later in life, as she worked on her studies at Clarke University, she thought back to her youth at the library, and decided to pursue the profession for herself. After receiving her BA in Elementary Education from Clarke, Lauren went on to complete her MLIS at the University of Iowa.
During coursework at the University of Iowa, Lauren discovered her interest in cataloging. Over the next three years, Lauren advanced from practicum student to student employee, and after graduation, from Library Assistant to Librarian within the Cataloging, Metadata, and Digitization Department at the University of Iowa Libraries. In her current position, Lauren is responsible for cataloging a wide variety of materials and formats, in addition to assisting with writing departmental documentation and database maintenance. Lauren has been a member of ILA since beginning her studies in Library & Information Science. She was the 2023 recipient of ILA/ ACRL’s Mary Iber Spring Conference Scholarship Award and a recent participant in the 2024 ILA Leadership Institute.
“As an early career professional in an Iowa academic library, I have already benefited greatly from the opportunities provided by ILA and ILA/ACRL. Through them, I have had the privilege of expanding my leadership skills and learning from other academic librarians. It’s been an honor to have the support of local professional associations in my early career. I welcome the opportunity to learn more about professional association involvement and to give back to an organization that diligently works to uplift and support the academic library community. Thank you for your consideration of my nomination as Member At-Large.”
Nancy Bird Luikart
Nancy Bird Luikart grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. While working full time as a Police Officer/Corporal she earned a BS in General Studies. As a graduate assistant for the LSU Dean of Libraries, she earned an MLIS and then worked as a Reference Librarian and Liaison to Social Sciences departments at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. She now lives in the cornfields with the love of her life, dogs, cats, and rotating children and grandchildren. She volunteered with Nichols Fire & Rescue as an EMT and Firefighter I for 25+ years. She is a trained weather spotter and member of CoCoRaHS, She has lived in Iowa for 30 years working first as an Education Coordinator at Muscatine General Hospital, an Adjunct Instructor (Introduction to Computers and English Comp II) at MCC, and currently as the Assistant Dean of Library Resources and Café Manager at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, Muscatine. She is delighted to share her lifelong love of reading, learning, and growing with the students at MCC. In her spare time, she walks trails with her dogs and maintains 5 acres of CRP planted with native Iowa trees and plants.