We are pleased to announce that on July 7, Louisiana Library Association (LLA) awarded Elissa Plank, LSU Libraries’ Head of Circulation, a Meritorious Service Award for her years of service to LLA. LLA is a statewide professional organization for librarians and library workers in Louisiana.

Plank is a native Texan with Louisiana roots. She received her BA from the University of Texas at Austin and an MA and PhD in English from the University of Rochester. Her library career began as a library aide in junior high and high school. Since then, she has worked in public, academic, and special libraries, including special collections, business, and government documents. She joined LSU Libraries as the student supervisor for the Government Documents and Microforms department in 2001. She has served as the Head of Circulation in the main library since 2008.

Plank became a member of the LLA in 2001, shortly after moving to Louisiana to work at LSU. She has served as an officer of the Louisiana Support Staff Association of Libraries (LaSSAL) section of LLA, as a section representative on the Louisiana Libraries editorial board, and on the Nominating, Scholarship, and Literary Award Committees. She has been the chair of the Conference Program Subcommittee in 2010, 2011, and 2018, and co-chair of the 2016 Conference Committee.

Currently, she serves as the secretary of the Subject Specialist section, the chair of the Literary Award Committee, and the chair of the Margaret T. Lane Award Committee. Additionally, she serves on the 2023 Conference Program Subcommittee. She was the recipient of the Margaret T. Lane Award in 2008.