Editor’s Note: In the lead-up to the 2025 ALA/ACRL election, we’re profiling the 2025 ACRL Board of Directors candidates. We’ll feature one candidate in slate order each weekday from February 26 – March 7. Complete details on candidates for ACRL offices are available on the election website. Make sure to vote for the candidates of your choice starting March 10.
Cassandra Kvenild is the dean of libraries at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, WY, and a 2025 candidate for the ACRL Board of Directors as Councilor.
1. Describe yourself in three words: Enthusiastic, dedicated, learner.
2. Describe ACRL in three words: Community, networking, supportive.
3. What do you value about ACRL? When I was new to the profession, ACRL introduced me to the critical questions and conversations shaping academic librarianship. Through ACRL, I built a strong network of colleagues and friends in positions like mine who were experiencing similar challenges and opportunities. ACRL publications — journals, monographs, and other resources — continue to be incredible resources in my professional practice. The ACRL conference, with its combination of networking and meaningful professional development, is an outstanding experience. I recommend the conference to all academic librarians seeking to expand their perspectives.
4. What would you, as a candidate for the ACRL Board, like to see ACRL accomplish in the area of EDI? Like many librarians, I work in a state with legislative limits on EDI efforts in public institutions. It is critical that ACRL listen to academic librarians navigating these challenges and explore how best to support these colleagues in their work. The EDI landscape is evolving rapidly across the country, with significant variations from region to region. ACRL can play an important role in identifying emerging trends, assessing the needs of the profession, and providing leadership and guidance for librarians adapting to changing policies and funding structures related to EDI.
5. In your own words (an open-ended statement or reflection about life as an academic/research librarian): As a member of ALA for 20 years, I am honored to stand for election and to have the opportunity to serve on the ACRL Board of Directors. ACRL has helped to shape my professional journey, and it would be a privilege to give back to an organization that has given me so much. Over the past two decades, the world of information has changed radically. I am deeply grateful for the colleagues, conferences, publications, and learning opportunities that have helped me stay informed and engaged with these changes.
6. What are you reading (or listening to on your mobile device(s)? I just started reading An Immense World: How Animal Sense Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong. He will visit our campus this spring and his vivid descriptions of the unexpected ways that other creatures experience the world are fascinating.