A weekly short list of tweets that librarians and the teens that they serve may find interesting.

Do you have a favorite Tweet from the past week? If so add it in the comments for this post. Or, if you read a Twitter post between February 24 – March 1 that you think is a must for the next Tweets of the week send a direct or @ message to lbraun2000 on Twitter.
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In February we are posting interviews with each of the 2012 Candidates for YALSA Award Committees. This week we are focusing on Michael L. Printz Award Committee.  Each day this week we’ll post an interview with one of the candidates for that committee. We are posting alphabetically by candidate’s last names.

The YALSA Nominating Committee for 2012 has been working hard to select candidates for this year’s election.  The Printz Committee is charged with selecting from the previous year’s publications the best young adult book (“best” being defined solely in terms of literary merit) and, if the Committee so decides, as many as four Honor Books. The Committee will also have the opportunity for input into the oversight and planning of the Printz Awards Program. Committee size: 9, four to be elected, plus a consultant from the staff of Booklist, and an administrative assistant if requested.

This is your chance to get to know this year’s candidates that have been nominated to serve on the Printz Award Committee.  Polls are open from March 19 to April 27.

Today we have an interview with Rachel McDonald. (more…)

What’s all the buzz?  There has not been this much tweeting since John Corey Whaley won this year’s Printz and Morris Awards!

The initial announcement about Booze for Books, scheduled for April 12, 2012, sure stirred a heated debate.  While the title says Booze, the event does not have to include booze, and is your opportunity to help raise funds to get books into the hands of needy teens. It’s all a part of YALSA’s Books for Teens initiative.

Options Galore  After reading the initial post about Booze for Books, many YALSA blog readers posted other options for events that don’t incorporate alcohol.  Janene suggested “Burgers for Books!”  Beth mentioned quite a few “Pizza for Pages,” “Tea for Teens,” and “Chocolate for a Cause.” Another Beth wrote “Mocktails for a Mission.”  YALSA’s first Booze for Books fundraiser can be adapted to meet your community’s needs.  The core idea of this fundraiser is to raise money for Books for Teens, which connects at-risk teenagers with books.  A novel idea!
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Title: Project 365
Cost: $0.99 (free version also available)
Platform: iPhone, iPod touch, iPad (requires iOs 4.0 or later)

Photo journaling is a fun and powerful way to document an important occasion or even a whole year.  Inspired by the photography website Photojojo, the Project 365 app helps users capture one shot per day, organize the collection of images, and share the results with friends and family.

Photojojo describes Project 365 as a “big undertaking with big payoffs.” They encourage photographers to take a picture a day, and their arguments are convincing: (more…)

I’m in the middle of a three session workshop on teaching photography skills to inmates at a local jail. The library is partnering with Silent Images, a local humanitarian photography organization. One of the stories David Johnson with S.I. told was that in a country he visited, a camera was more powerful than a gun. Why? Because a bullet only travels so far. A photograph can be shared infinite ways. (more…)

Confession: I have a graveyard of programs that did not work at my library. I am an enthusiastic programmer, and with no quantitative data on what teen programs worked at my library in the decade before I arrived, I have enjoyed free rein in attempting a vast variety of programs. Unfortunately, any great number of these programs have fallen flat, especially technology-related teen programs.

So with all apologies to Teen Tech Week, I’m declaring that technology-related programming does not work at my library. (more…)

In February we are posting interviews with each of the 2012 Candidates for YALSA Award Committees. This week we are focusing on Michael L. Printz Award Committee.  Each day this week we’ll post an interview with one of the candidates for that committee. We are posting alphabetically by candidate’s last names.

The YALSA Nominating Committee for 2012 has been working hard to select candidates for this year’s election.  The Printz Committee is charged with selecting from the previous year’s publications the best young adult book (“best” being defined solely in terms of literary merit) and, if the Committee so decides, as many as four Honor Books. The Committee will also have the opportunity for input into the oversight and planning of the Printz Awards Program. Committee size: 9, four to be elected, plus a consultant from the staff of Booklist, and an administrative assistant if requested.

This is your chance to get to know this year’s candidates that have been nominated to serve on the Printz Committee.  Polls are open from March 19 to April 27.

Today we have an interview with Gregory Lum. (more…)

Have you registered for ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim yet? Early Bird registration is open through May 13 at alaannual.org. There’s so much to look forward to, not the least of which is the Exhibit Hall.

The Exhibit Hall at ALA Annual can be overwhelming, especially if it’s your first time at an ALA conference. Here are some tips on how to handle the exhibits like a “pro”:

• Target what you want to see FIRST. There’s so much to see, including all of the publishers, technology and furniture companies, as well as a plethora of other library-related booths. If you need to talk with specific vendors or publishers, be sure to visit these booths first. Take a look at the exhibit hall map and make sure you know where they are located in the hall. Check the current list of exhibitors for ALA Annual. The floor plan map is not available yet, but check back later to see the map before you go to the conference.
• Give yourself enough time. Don’t wait until the last day to visit the exhibits. First, you may miss out on some fun promotions and second, you may not have enough time to see what you want (or need) to see. After targeting specific vendors, allow some time to peruse other booths. If your schedule allows, come back a second day, when you have a better idea of where everything is located.
• Talk to other librarians. When you go to workshops or networking events at the conference, talk to other librarians who have already visited the exhibits. Some will know the inside scoop on where to get the “unadvertised” Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) or what booths to go to for specific titles. If it’s your first time, it might be a good idea to make a plan to meet up with a seasoned conference-goer librarian who can walk around the hall with you.
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We’re getting into the home stretch before the YALSA elections.  Here’s a quick guide to getting ready for voting day.  In the spirit of librarians everywhere, now is when you do the research to make an informed decision.

First off, if you haven’t already done so, refresh your memory on the requirements and descriptions for each elected position. YALSA President-Elect, Fiscal Officer, Secretary, YALSA Board of Directors and YALSA award committees are all decided in this election.  Linda Braun explains the expectations for those on the Governance Slate here and our colleague Dawn Rutherford has posted a helpful summary of the Award slate here.

The full slate of YALSA Election candidates is listed here. Each candidate has been interviewed by members of the 2012 Nominating Committee to help voting members to virtually meet each one and understand how they plan to tackle their work for each position.  If you were unable to attend ALA Midwinter, you can listen to the interviews conducted at the Coffee with the Candidate event including those running for ALA Councilor, the YALSA Board, and YALSA President-Elect/President.  The official podcast interviews with the Governance candidates are forthcoming, so keep an eye out for those on this blog.
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In February we are posting interviews with each of the 2012 Candidates for YALSA Award Committees. This week we are focusing on Michael L. Printz Award Committee.  Each day this week we’ll post an interview with one of the candidates for that committee. We are posting alphabetically by candidate’s last names.

The YALSA Nominating Committee for 2012 has been working hard to select candidates for this year’s election.  The Printz Committee is charged with selecting from the previous year’s publications the best young adult book (“best” being defined solely in terms of literary merit) and, if the Committee so decides, as many as four Honor Books. The Committee will also have the opportunity for input into the oversight and planning of the Printz Awards Program. Committee size: 9, four to be elected, plus a consultant from the staff of Booklist, and an administrative assistant if requested.

This is your chance to get to know this year’s candidates that have been nominated to serve on the Printz Committee. Polls are open from March 19 to April 27.

Today we have an interview with Jennifer Lawson (more…)