Podcast episode
Turning the page: What does the future hold for academic libraries?
Ideas to Innovation - Season Three
Podcast episode
Ideas to Innovation - Season Three
The concept of academic libraries has evolved from humble beginnings five thousand years ago to the expansive network that exists today in public schools, colleges, and universities across the United States. It’s easy to see why libraries are worth supporting. They continue to facilitate academic excellence, embrace advancements in technology and foster community and collaboration. Still, looking ahead, academic libraries face several significant challenges, including – perhaps most importantly – the significant cost for their support.
Championing the cause of libraries is the mission of our latest guest on the “Ideas to Innovation Season 3” podcast from Clarivate. John Chrastka serves as executive director of EveryLibrary, a non-profit group that builds voter support for academic libraries and helps them secure funding as well. To advance this mission, Clarivate recently announced a partnership with EveryLibrary that leverages the strengths of the two organizations through dedicated resources and advocacy. John is long-time library trustee, supporter and advocate for academic libraries. Prior to his current role, he served as former partner in AssociaDirect, a Chicago, Illinois-based consultancy focused on support associations in membership recruitment, conference, and governance activities.
John Chrastka is executive director of EveryLibrary, the first nationwide political action committee for libraries, and theEveryLibrary Institute, a nonprofit focused on research and training to stabilize and extend library funding. A long-time library trustee, supporter, and advocate, Mr. Chrastka is a former president of the Board of Trustees for the Berwyn (IL) Public Library (2006 – 2015) and is a former president of the Reaching Across Illinois Libraries System (RAILS), a multi-type library system. Prior to his work on EveryLibrary, he was a partner in AssociaDirect, a Chicago-based consultancy focused on supporting associations in membership recruitment, conference, and governance activities, was Director for Membership Development at the American Library Association (ALA), and was a principal at ClassMap, an Ed-Tech firm specializing in instructional technology. He is the author of two books on library ballot measures and numerous articles in trade and academic journals and is a frequent speaker at library and library-adjacent conferences in the United States and abroad.