Keynote Address + Closing (KN02)

Emily Drabinski will present the opening and closing Keynote Address at SLA 2025.

Emily Drabinski is an Associate Professor at the Queens College Graduate School of Library and Information Studies at the City University of New York. Prior to transitioning to a full-time teaching role, she spent over 20 years as an academic librarian, with a focus on information literacy and instruction. She has published and presented extensively on topics related to gender and sexuality in library and information studies, critical approaches to information organization, and the role of organizing in fostering institutional and field-wide change.

In 2022, she ran for president of the American Library Association on a pro-worker platform and subsequently served as president during the 2023-24 term. This year proved to be extraordinarily challenging for libraries as the organized censorship movement intensified, targeting both the American Library Association and her specifically. Drabinski continues to reflect on her experiences as a flashpoint for the politicization of their work, often incorporating stories from this journey into her public presentations.

She has received multiple professional awards, including a Career Achievement Award from the Association of College and Research Libraries’ Women and Gender Studies Section and the 2024 Distinguished Service Award from the New York Library Association.