Raymond Pun, the academic and research librarian at the Alder Graduate School of Education in Redwood City, Calif., has been elected president of the American Library Association for its 2025–2026 term. He received 5,611, votes while his opponent, Sam Helmick, community and access services coordinator at Iowa City Public Library and the former president of the Iowa Library Association, received 2,778 votes.
Pun's election comes during a challenging time for the library sector, with book bans continuing to soar across the country. He will step in as president-elect at the 2024 ALA Annual Conference, set for San Diego, Calif., June 27–July 2, and current president-elect Cindy Hohl, director of policy analysis and operational support at Kansas City (Mo.) Public Library, will assume her duties as president. Hohl succeeds Emily Drabinski, whose tenure has been marked by right-wing attacks on the freedom to read, libraries and librarians, the ALA, and Drabinski herself.
“Thank you to each and every member who voted, and became part of the ALA community to make our profession and association stronger together,” Pun said in a statement. “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 is a past president of the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association. He previously served on the ALA Council and ALA Policy Corps and as a member of the advisory committees for two ALA past presidents. He is a member of several other library associations, including the American Association of School Librarians, the Association for Library Service to Children, and the Association of College and Research Libraries.
