Hands Off Our Books: A Ronning Centre Conversation

Kerri has been a life-long advocate for libraries, grounded by a deep belief that they are essential, inclusive spaces for learning, access and community building. For more than 20 years, she has put those beliefs into action, dedicating her service as first a library trustee, then an employee, and in 2013, taking the helm as Director at the Valleyview Municipal Library.

In recent years, Kerri’s management style has taken on a sharper edge faced with defending the library against mounting pressures including budget cuts and organized politically-driven efforts aimed at undermining public libraries and the values they represent. She has met these challenges head-on, becoming a fierce and unwavering voice for intellectual freedom, equitable access, and the vital role libraries play in a healthy community. Kerri is committed to continue the work still ahead to ensure libraries remain responsive, resilient, and available to everyone.

When not working at Valleyview Municipal Library, or serving as a Town Councillor, Kerri can likely be found at home, reading from an ever-expanding TBR collection, accompanied by her two reading buddies/vicious guard parrots, Oskar and Kito.

Alyssa grew up in several small, rural communities, and this upbringing has made her keenly aware of the importance of freely accessing books, art, film, theater and the internet. She has carried this belief in accessible knowledge throughout her life. During her BFA, she studied illustration, an art form designed to be mass produced for broad audiences, which led her to apply for a library summer job working with the books she was studying. It was during this job that she discovered what public libraries could be when done right - a place where anyone can find community and access the stories and resources they need. 

Alyssa got her master’s degree in library studies in 2018, and won the 2019 Lorne MacRae Intellectual Freedom Award for her research into LGBTQ+ picture books and their inclusion in public libraries. As the director of the Camrose Public Library, she has worked tirelessly to improve systems so that as many people as possible can feel their information needs being met, work that is completely undermined by the proposed Bill 28. Alyssa has lived, studied, and worked in many places across Canada and has settled back in her hometown with her husband where they both run non-profit organizations and raise their two tiny children together.