2026 Virginia Library Association Executive Committee Election
ALA Councilor Statements

About the ALA Councilor
The ALA Councilor is the liaison between the chapter association (VLA) and the American Library Association (ALA).. The Councilor’s term is three years, and they assume office immediately.

What's at Stake
VLA's ALA Councilor is our representative in the American Library Association. They attend special meetings, such as for the ALA Chapter Relations Committee, and participate in the deliberations of the American Library Association Council and vote on issues which come before the Council.

There are three candidates for ALA Councilor. Learn more about them below.

Bonnie Shaw began work as a library assistant in spring 2011 in the Youth and Family Services department with Suffolk Public Libraries in Suffolk, Virginia. Shaw says, "Having no library experience when I started, with great mentoring and guidance, I was reading for storytime to toddlers and preschoolers within a couple of months, just in time for the Summer Reading Program season." In 2013, she began working with Portsmouth Public Libraries, where she experienced working in all library departments and discovered her love of cataloging. In 2015, she began working at the Slover Library with Norfolk Public Libraries in the events department, while doing a little cataloging in her downtime.

In March 2018, Shaw accepted a Cataloging Assistant position at William & Mary Libraries in

Williamsburg. While working these positions, she also attended Tidewater Community

College, transferring to Norfolk State University to receive her Bachelors of Interdisciplinary

Studies. When Shaw began at William & Mary, she started her MLIS degree at the University of Alabama in the 14th cohort that summer. She graduated, virtually, in the summer of 2020. After 5 years as a cataloging assistant, she transitioned to her current position as Senior Fiscal & Data Administrator for William & Mary Libraries.

Shaw has been a member of the Virginia Library Association since 2015 and served as the Chair of the VLA Professional Associates Forum from 2017-2018. She also served on the VLA conference planning committee.

Crystal Boyce is a Biological Sciences Librarian at George Mason University, but her journey in libraries began as a page at a public library in Newport News. From there, she worked in Circulation at the College of William & Mary, where she contributed to the Virginia Library Association (VLA) in multiple roles. Her career then took her to Illinois Wesleyan University as a Science Librarian, where she served in leadership positions within the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL), contributed to national discussions on academic librarianship, and was recognized as an Emerging Leader by the ACRL Science & Technology Section.

Now back in Virginia, Boyce is eager to serve the VLA as ALA Councilor. Her experiences across public, academic, and special libraries in multiple states have given her a broad perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing the profession. She is passionate about advocating for library workers and ensuring that Virginia’s voice is heard at the national level.

Beyond her commitment to professional service, Boyce brings project management and assessment skills, both crucial for a role requiring regular meetings, policy discussions, and strategic planning. Her background in usability testing, instructional assessment, and information policy research allows her to approach advocacy with an evidence-based mindset. Additionally, her work in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives aligns with ALA’s ongoing efforts to create more equitable and accessible library services.

Says Boyce, "I thrive on collaboration and believe my experience in leadership, policy, and assessment will serve the VLA well. I would be honored to represent Virginia librarians as ALA Councilor and advocate for the needs of our profession at the national level."

Gladys Bell shares, "VLA has had the benefit of exceptional leadership over several decades, and has consistently brought the central concerns of librarians to the membership.  It would be an honor to serve as the VLA ALA Councilor-at-large in a new and impactful way. Having served as an elected ALA Councilor-at-Large for over ten years and as an academic librarian for decades with extensive experience in the governance of librarianship at the state and ALA level. I am deeply committed to the growth, advocacy and support of our profession and this role provides an exciting and a continued opportunity for me to further contribute to the development of the library community in Virginia, while also representing our interests on a national scale. I believe my experience, my passion for libraries, and my dedication to serving the profession make me a strong candidate for this role as Virginia’s ALA Councilor-at-Large. If elected, I am eager to continue to support VLA and the library community in Virginia in this way."