We would like you to consider the future of the library profession and of the American Library Association in particular. We know that you have been active in ALA committees and thereby have demonstrated initiative and leadership in our field. Consequently, we are contacting you about the candidacy of Professor Ching-chih Chen of Simmons College for president of ALA. We ask that you consider her credentials and join us in supporting her success in the forthcoming ALA election.

We have known Ching-chih since 1987 when she demonstrated her Project Emperor I to the attendees of the international Conference on Data Bases in the Social Sciences and Humanities at Auburn University at Montgomery, AL. We have met subsequently at professional conferences, and to stimulate interest in computer-assisted instruction with the new information technology at hand, in 1992 she was invited to Ferris State University for a full-day workshop with FSU faculty, librarians, and computer support staff. It was an unqualified success, and attendees were impressed not only with the project itself, but with her presentation, technical know-how, multidisciplinary learning, creativity, and remarkable energy and enthusiasm. These are the same characteristics why we support her for the ALA presidency.

Ching-chih, of course, is no stranger to this state, being the recipient of the distinguished alumni award from the University of Michigan. She has an impressive academic and administrative background, solid credentials, prolific publications, and a record of productivity and accomplishment. Her organizational skills and ability to collaborate and enlist the participation of people across our professional spectrum are indeed legendary... science information institutes, policy studies, project demonstrations, and international conferences all over the world. We have no other candidate who could act as an ambassador like Professor

Nor could we ask for a leader more dedicated to ALA, with service since 1976 in ALA committees, council, and as LITA director. And her liaison capabilities are to be prized as well, since she has extensive contacts in ASIS, ALISE, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In an ongoing digital revolution within the information industry, view of dramatic shifts in government policy toward education and information services, and the challenges confronting libraries due to social and technological change, we need ALA leadership that has a global perspective, understands politics, is comfortable with advanced technology, and appreciates the abiding role of libraries in American life. That leadership can be provided by Ching-chih. We, therefore, ask that you support her candidacy for ALA president with your vote.

Friends to Elect Ching-chih Chen