Editor’s Note: In the lead-up to the 2026 ALA/ACRL election, we’re profiling the 2026 ACRL Board of Directors candidates. We’ll feature one candidate in slate order each weekday from March 3-6. 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 9.
Russell Michalak is the director of library & archives at the Hirons Library, at Goldey-Beacom College in Wilmington, DE, and a 2026 candidate for the ACRL Board of Directors as Vice-President/President-Elect.
1. Describe yourself in three words: Collaborative, reflective, values-driven.
2. Describe ACRL in three words: Innovative, inclusive, essential.
3. What do you value about ACRL? What I value most about ACRL is the sense of belonging it has provided me throughout my career as an academic librarian. At different stages of my professional journey, ACRL has been a place where I could connect with colleagues who share a commitment to values-driven work and to strengthening both our profession and the institutions we serve. In particular, ACRL’s discussion groups have been essential spaces for honest conversation, reflection, and learning—places where practitioners can engage with real challenges, share experiences, and move beyond familiar echo chambers.
ACRL has also played an important role in my leadership development. Through professional development opportunities and service in committees, sections, interest groups, and discussion groups, I’ve been able to contribute in ways that feel both purposeful and impactful. These spaces have supported my growth as a leader while allowing me to give back through writing and reviewing scholarship, contributing to white papers, and developing practical resources such as LibGuides for ACRL that support learning and innovation across higher education.
Through this shared work, ACRL has provided me with connection, opportunity, and a strong sense of collective progress—reinforcing the importance of community, dialogue, and collaboration in academic librarianship.
4. What would you, as a candidate for the ACRL Board, like to see ACRL accomplish in the area of EDI? As a candidate for vice-president/president-elect, I would like to see ACRL continue to deepen its leadership in equity, diversity, and inclusion by advancing practical, sustainable initiatives that strengthen belonging across the profession. This includes expanding and demystifying leadership pathways for underrepresented librarians, supporting equity-centered professional development, and ensuring that EDI principles are meaningfully embedded across ACRL’s strategic priorities, governance, and programming.
In particular, I would like to see ACRL continue to lead at the intersection of equity and emerging challenges—especially in areas such as technology adoption, AI literacy, accessibility, and information ethics. As libraries navigate rapid technological change, ACRL can play a critical role in helping institutions respond in ways that are inclusive, ethical, and grounded in our professional values.
I also hope ACRL will continue to advocate for academic libraries as essential partners in creating more just, equitable, and inclusive learning environments for students, faculty, and staff. By centering EDI in both policy and practice, ACRL can help ensure that innovation strengthens—not undermines—equity, belonging, and access across higher education.
5. In your own words (an open-ended statement or reflection about life as an academic/research librarian): Life as an academic librarian, for me, is rooted in service, curiosity, and ethical responsibility. Our work is woven into teaching, learning, research, and the broader mission of our institutions, and I see every day how libraries support the academic and personal success of our communities. In a time of rapid technological change, shifting student needs, and ongoing questions of equity and access, the role of the academic librarian is both demanding and essential.
Academic librarians work closely with students, faculty, and staff to help them find, evaluate, and use information thoughtfully and responsibly. Much of this work happens through collaboration—inside the classroom, across campus, and within the profession. I believe our greatest strength comes from shared leadership, clear values, and a collective commitment to inclusive learning and student success.
I find this work both challenging and hopeful. Even in uncertain times, libraries remain places where people come together to learn, ask questions, and build opportunity—and where academic librarians can make a meaningful, values-driven difference.
6. What are you reading (or listening to on your mobile device(s)? As I am writing this, I just finished Biography of X by Catherine Lacey, which I’m reading as part of my institution’s common reading program selection process for next year. I also enjoy reading about academic library leadership and the ethical challenges of emerging technologies in higher education.