Dr. Camila Alire is Dean Emerita at the University of New Mexico and Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. She has additionally served as Dean/Director of Libraries at University of Colorado at Denver. She currently serves as Professor of Practice (adjunct) for Simmons College’s PhD program in Managerial Leadership in the Information Professions and adjunct professor at San Jose University Executive MLIS program. Other previous library experience includes serving as a community college library director, head of a special library, school librarian (K-12), and assistant to the dean/instructor at the University of Denver Graduate School of Librarianship and Information Management. Camila received her doctorate in Higher Education Administration from the University of Northern Colorado. She also holds an MLS from the University of Denver.

Camila maintains an outstanding record of service. She is an active and long-standing member/leader of several associations. She is active in the American Library Association, currently chairs the ALA Committee on Legislation, has chaired several ALA Committees (Nominating, Committee on Education, American Libraries Advisory Committee), and has sat on four ALA President’s Special Advisory Task Forces. She has served on the ALA Council and on the ALA Executive Board. She is past-president of the Association for College and Research Libraries (ACRL) and served as chair of the 2005 ACRL National Conference. She is a member of REFORMA (National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to the Spanish-Speaking), serving as national president and chair of several committees. 

Camila has served on the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Board and on the Greater Western Library Alliance Board and was the conference co-chair for the GWLA National Diversity Conference. She was also professionally active in New Mexico in the Association of Research Libraries of New Mexico and the New Mexico Consortium of Academic Libraries, NMLA; and in the Colorado ALA Chapter where she chaired the Colorado Library Association’s Legislative Committee, Education Committee, and Local Arrangements Committee. She has chaired the Colorado Council on Library Development’s Board (State Library Advisory Board) and its Committee on Library Services to Ethnic Populations. This committee established a scholarship for MLS students serving minority populations and a statewide mentoring program. She has also chaired State Library Regional Library Systems (multi-type) governing boards in two states.

Camila’s writing focuses on library marketing and advocacy, library services for Latinos and other minorities, library disaster recovery, leadership development, and recruitment/retention of minorities in the library profession and in higher education. She recently co-authored Serving Latino Communities (2007), Academic Librarians as Emotionally Intelligent Leaders (2007), and edited Library Disaster Planning and Recovery Handbook (2000).  She has also published in various library journals, mostly in the areas of library marketing and advocacy, leadership, diversity, and recruitment/retention. She has presented workshops all over the United States on library advocacy, serving the Latino community, and other topics.

Camila’s contributions to library services have not gone unnoticed. She has enjoyed the following recognition: 

• Named to the ALA/ALTA National Advocacy Honor Roll for her library advocacy work
• Named Scholar-in-Residence for the Chicago Public Library System
• ALA Elizabeth Futas Catalyst for Change Award (first recipient)
• REFORMA’s Librarian of the Year
• Twice selected by the Colorado Library Association (CLA) to receive the CLA Exemplary Library Services to Ethnic Populations Award.
• Received the Mountain Plains Library Association’s Legislative Leadership Award
• Named by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the country.