Tamika Barnes, Becky Calzada Running for ALA Presidency
In addition to announcing its presidential candidates, ALA also announced the names of 18 nominated candidates who are running for a total of 12 at-large seats on the ALA Council for the 2026-2027 term.
The American Library Association this week announced that Tamika Barnes, Associate Dean at Georgia State University's Perimeter College Library Services and Becky Calzada, District Library Coordinator at the Leander (Texas) Independent School District (ISD) will vie for the 2027-2028 presidency of the American Library Association.
Barnes, who has served on the Georgia Library Association Executive Board from 2013-2021 and the ALA Executive Board from 2018-2021 is currently serving as the Georgia Library Association (GLA) president-elect 2025 and will assume the role of president in 2026.
Calzada, a prominent voice in defense of the freedom to read, has served as president of the American Association of School Librarians from 2024-2025 and on the AASL Board of Directors from 2018-2022. She has been honored with several awards for her advocacy, including most recently the Eleanor Roosevelt Literary Freedom Award 2025 and the AASL Intellectual Freedom Award. She was also recognized in People Magazine’s 2023 "Women Changing the World" issue and is featured in the upcoming documentary, The Librarians.
“I am deeply honored to be nominated to stand for president-elect for the American Library Association,” Barnes said in a statement. “I am committed to leading with integrity, transparency, and collaboration, ensuring that our association continues to be a strong voice for libraries and library workers everywhere. Together, we can meet today’s challenges with courage and vision, advancing our shared mission to empower learning, strengthen democracy, and build more connected and equitable communities.”
Calzada also said she was honored to be nominated. “Our association must be member-informed and continue to position libraries as critical democratic institutions in society where inclusion is valued and opportunities are available for all in every community and school we serve," she said, in her statement. "With a proven record of building coalitions, I am prepared to listen, lead, and amplify the needs of ALA and rally ALA members to become engaged in their association.”
In in its announcement, ALA reps said more candidates could still emerge, and said members who are interested in running by petition for ALA President can do so by completing a petition form (with signatures from at least 200 ALA current personal members) by December 12, 2025.
In addition to announcing its presidential candidates, ALA also announced the names of 18 nominated candidates who are running for a total of 12 at-large seats on the ALA Council for the 2026-2027 term.
Ballot mailing for the ALA election will begin on March 9, 2026, and will run through April 1, 2026.
