Published on April 23, 2026  
Lauren Young

Lauren Young, librarian and instruction coordinator in Harwell G. Davis Library at Samford University, has been elevated to president of the Atla Open Press Editorial Board, three years after being appointed to the board. 

Atla is an international library association dedicated to advancing the study of religion and theology by supporting scholarly communication and access to high-quality information resources. Its membership includes librarians, scholars and publishers who collaborate to make theological research widely available. The Books@Atla Editorial Board is a six-member team that oversees the development and publication of monographs on the association’s open access platform. 

In her role as president, Young contributes to the development of monograph ideas, reviews proposals submitted by association members and serves as a liaison between the board and monograph authors and anthology editors. She helps guide authors and editors through the manuscript writing, editing and publication process. 

 
Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford enrolls 6,324 students from 44 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s 35 Most Beautiful College Campuses, Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and boasts one of the highest scores in the nation for its 97% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.