Lessa Kananiʻopua Pelayo-Lozada facts for kids

Lessa Kananiʻopua Pelayo-Lozada is an American librarian who helps people find information and learn new things. She is currently the Director of the Glendale Public Library in Southern California.

In 2021, Lessa Pelayo-Lozada was chosen to be the president of the American Library Association (ALA) for the 2022–2023 term. She was the youngest person ever elected to this important role. She was also the first person from the Pacific Islands to become ALA president.

Early Life and Education

Lessa Kananiʻopua Pelayo-Lozada was born in Southern California. She has a diverse background, meaning her family comes from many different places. She has heritage from Hawaiian, Filipino, Portuguese, and Chinese cultures, as well as white heritage.

Growing up, Lessa lived in Torrance and Gardena. She graduated from Bishop Montgomery High School in 2003. Her background has helped her in her work to make libraries welcoming for everyone.

College Studies

Lessa started her college journey at El Camino College, where she earned a degree in philosophy in 2005. She then went to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

At UCLA, she earned two more degrees. She got a bachelor's degree in sociology in 2007. Later, in 2009, she earned a master's degree in Library and Information Science. For her master's project, she studied how Hawaiian culture and stories are shared among Hawaiian people living in Southern California.

Career as a Librarian

Lessa Pelayo-Lozada has worked in several public libraries in the Los Angeles area. She started her library career in 2006 as a library aide at the Los Angeles Public Library. She worked there until 2010.

From 2009 to 2015, she worked as a youth librarian. This means she helped kids and teens find books and learn. She worked at libraries in Redondo Beach, Glendale, and Rancho Cucamonga.

In 2016, she joined the Palos Verdes Library District as a youth services librarian. By 2018, she became the assistant manager for adult services at the same library district.

Leadership in Libraries

Lessa Pelayo-Lozada has taken on many leadership roles within the American Library Association (ALA). From 2016 to 2017, she led a special committee for ALA that focused on diversity, literacy, and outreach services.

She also served on the ALA Council, which helps make decisions for the organization. She was also part of the ALA Executive Board from 2017 to 2020.

Becoming ALA President

In April 2021, Lessa Pelayo-Lozada was elected as the president of ALA for the 2022–2023 term. When she won, she shared her goals. She wanted to make ALA a more welcoming and fair organization for everyone. She also aimed for ALA to be a great example of how an organization should be run.

As mentioned, she was the first person from the Pacific Islands and the youngest person to become ALA president.

Other Leadership Roles

From 2016 to 2017, Lessa was also the president of the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association. Later, she became the Executive Director for this group.

She also helped create a special reading program called "Talk Story: Sharing Stories, Sharing Culture." This program was made to help Asian Pacific American and American Indian/Alaska Native children share their stories and learn about their cultures.