Pun wins 2025-2026 ALA presidency

CHICAGO — Raymond Pun, Academic and Research Librarian at the Alder Graduate School of Education in California has been elected 2024-2025 president-elect of the American Library Association (ALA).

Pun received 5,611 votes, while his opponent, Sam Helmick, Community & Access Services Coordinator at Iowa City Public Library, received 2,778 votes.

Upon learning the outcome of the election, Pun said, "Thank you to each and every member who voted, and became part of the ALA community to make our profession and association stronger together. I am truly honored for this opportunity to lead our association with you all. My deepest thanks to Sam Helmick for standing in the election with me during this critical time."

Pun currently serves as the immediate past president of the Chinese American Librarians Association and was past president of the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association. Pun previously served on the ALA Council, ALA Policy Corps, and as a member of the advisory committees for two ALA past presidents. Pun is a member of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), and the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). Pun is a member of the California Library Association (CLA) Advocacy and Legislation Committee, the Library Freedom Project (LFP), and other ALA affiliates including the American Indian Library Association (AILA), the Black Caucus of ALA (BCALA), the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL), the Association for Rural and Small Libraries, and REFORMA: The National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking. Pun is also a member of the International Relations Round Table (IRRT) and the Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT). In addition to librarianship, Pun is a member of the Committee of 100’s Next Generation Leaders program and a speaker for The Weave Speakers Bureau.

Pun holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from California State University, Fresno; a Master of Library Science from CUNY Queens College; a Master of Arts in East Asian Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in History from St. John’s University in New York.

About the American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more than 140 years, the ALA has been the trusted voice for academic, public, school, government and special libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit www.ala.org.