Erin Wahl - Candidate for Vice President/President

Current Position

Assistant Professor/University Archivist. New Mexico State University. Las Cruces, New Mexico. February 2023-present.

Previous Position(s)

Instruction Coordinator.
New Mexico State University. Las Cruces, New Mexico. August 2018-February 2023.
Instructional Librarian.
Fresno Pacific University. Fresno, California. January 2017-July 2018.
Assistant Archivist.
University of Alaska Fairbanks. Fairbanks, Alaska. February 2016-December 2016.
Senior Library Supervisor.
University of Arizona Poetry Center. Tucson, Arizona. February 2014-May 2014.
Archivist and Librarian.
Arizona Historical Society. Tucson, Arizona. January 2013-January 2014.
etc.

Education (degrees earned and from where)

In progress: PhD, Educational Leadership and Administration, Higher Ed PhD track. New Mexico State University. Las Cruces, New Mexico. 2020-present. ABD. Anticipated graduation December 2024.
MA, Information Resources and Library Science. University of Arizona. Tucson, Arizona. 2011-2012.
MA, English, emphasis creative writing, poetry and creative nonfiction. Northern Arizona University. Flagstaff, Arizona. 2009-2011.
BA, English and writing. Bluffton University. Bluffton, Ohio. 2001-2005.

Professional activities, especially those in MPLA or relevant to this position

Mountain Plains Library Association: “Mountain Plains Library Association Leadership Institute,” May 2023.
Chair, Membership Committee, Mountain Plains Library Association. Joined committee in 2021. Appointed chair in August 2022.
New Mexico Library Association State Representative to MPLA, 2022-2025.
*If elected, I would step down from my Chair and state rep positions to make space for others to lead those conversations.

I am very involved in research and publishing activities and am happy to provide a complete list of all publications to anyone interested.

Reviewing Activities:
Peer Reviewer for American Archivist (https://meridian.allenpress.com/american-archivist)
Peer Reviewer for Journal of Sustainability Education (http://www.journalofsustainabilityeducation.org/). 
Peer Reviewer for the International Journal of Librarianship (https://journal.calaijol.org/index.php/ijol)
Peer Reviewer for the Journal of New Librarianship (https://newlibs.org/index.php/jonl)
Reviewer for the Library Writing Cooperative’s First Draft Matchmaker program. (https://sites.google.com/uri.edu/library-writing-cooperative/first-draft-matchmaker)

Advisory Board Member, Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), 2024-2026.
Judge, Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Campus Sustainability Research Award. 2020-present.
Co-chair, Border Regional Library Association Southwest Book Awards Committee. Joined committee in 2018. Appointed co-chair in 2023.
Library Advisory Board member, Thomas Branigan Memorial Library. At-large member. Appointed by mayor and council in 2022. Term ends 2024.
Co-Chair, New Mexico Library Association Conference 2022-2024.

MPLA member since (year)

2018

What ability, talent, interest, or strength would you bring to this position?

Two of my main areas of research interest are sustainability and also library work environments. So I would be interested in seeing how MPLA could contribute to the conversation in those areas. I think one of my big strengths is my creativity and my vision. I have a lot of ideas and I've learned how to choose what I go forward with based on the bigger picture of things. I also feel like I have had a lot of success mentoring early career librarians and getting folks to participate and lend a hand in different initiatives. My focus is on my community.

What would you like to accomplish during your term of office?

As Vice President/President Elect, I would really like to continue the work of the current Board and President towards updating our procedures manuals and making sure MPLA continues to run smoothly and efficiently, as well as make sure that any projects started by past presidents are completed. Continuity and follow-through is important for MPLA's future. I would like to seek out opportunities for us to partner with other regional, national, and maybe even international library and related groups to bring more benefits to our membership and continue proving that MPLA is not only an investment in our region, but that our work is important in informing the library community on a national and global scale. I want to create opportunities for MPLA members to shine in new spaces we haven't explored before. I really want to dig into what our members want from us as an organization, and what's going on in member states that we could contribute to in some way, and I'd like to get more of our members active in the workings of MPLA in ways that are fun, move us forward, but also sustainable considering the ever-increasing workloads and challenges we are all dealing with in our libraries.