Library Futures is thrilled to announce the membership of our Advisory Board. Its members hail from the worlds of libraries, journalism, the law, technology, and public policy, but all hold in common their work for and belief in a more equitable digital future for all.

The Library Futures Advisory Board consists of nine members who were selected for their expertise and leadership in their respective fields and are tasked with providing non-binding but critical strategic advice, valuable insights, and diverse perspectives to inform Library Futures’ organizational direction, priorities, and operations. 

Wafa Ben-Hassine is Director of Responsible Tech at Omidyar. In her career as a human rights advocate and international lawyer she has focused on the intersection of human rights and emerging technologies, noting that “We all have the ability — and the obligation — to steer, shape, and govern digital technology in service of a more inclusive and equitable society.”

Michael Blackwell works to steer technology in the service of a more inclusive and equitable society both as Director of the St. Mary’s County Library in Maryland and as one of the chief organizers behind Readers First, an organization “dedicated to ensuring that library users have the same open, easy and free access to e-books that they have come to rely on with physical books.”

When it comes to ebooks in libraries, Guy LeCharles Gonzalez brings his deep experience as a creator, curator, and editor of content for libraries as well as his ongoing interest in the promises and challenges of digital content in libraries. Currently Chief Content Officer for LibraryPass, Guy notes that he enjoys “building strong relationships with communities… particularly during transformative and disruptive moments.” As we navigate this disruptive moment in libraries, we’re glad to have him on board!

Sarah Hutton’s work as an academic research librarian, public policy fellow, educator, and data analyst formed her interest and expertise in everything from open education to organizational theory to strategic planning. Currently she serves as Education and Clinical Services Librarian at UMass Chan Medical School and is a Research Fellow at the School of Public Policy at UMass Amherst. Sarah also serves in an advisory capacity on technology and research with the Internet of Production Alliance. We welcome her expertise on governance and her special attention to design, diversity, accessibility, and inclusivity.

Kanta Kapoor is Director, Support Services at Milton Public Library in Milton, Ontario, Canada. Kanta has always been interested in emerging technologies and how they can be used to share information more broadly, and she worked with Milton Public Library staff and the Internet Archive to make MPL a part of the Internet Archive’s Open Libraries program, for which she won an Internet Archive Hero Award in 2021. 

Amanda Levendowski is well known to the Library Futures community for her online appearances and her work with the Intellectual Property and Information Policy (iPIP) Clinic at Georgetown University, which does “creative legal and sociotechnical work for justice-minded artists, non-profits, and coalitions.” Amanda is also the coeditor of Feminist Cyberlaw.

From the makerspace at the Carson City Library in Nevada to the board of the Web 3 ID Coalition (with some stops as a public library director and director of Research & Public Policy at Blockchains along the way), Sena Loyd comes to us with a broad background in technology, research, libraries, and policy.

Another advisory board member with deep internet roots is Karolle Rabarison, who did policy advocacy with the World Wide Web Foundation. She now works to support and connect digital journalists in an inclusive and innovative community as Director of Communications for the Online News Association. Karolle has consistently worked with nonprofits, technology companies, and civil society organizations for a more equitable and just internet.

Allison Jennings Roche is a PhD Candidate in Information Studies at the University of Maryland and Associate Director of Digital Initiatives & Collections at The University of Baltimore's RLB Library. Talking to Library Journal for her 2024 Mover and Shaker profile, Allison noted that her research is “really about understanding systems of information, and how they work within society, how you can interact with them.”

As Library Futures looks to navigate the systems of information in our world in order to create a more just, equitable, and inclusive library ecosystem, we look forward to the wealth of experience and expertise that our Advisory Board will bring to our work.

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