Month: September 2020

Give $20 in 2020 to Support YALSA Board Fellows

What’s really cool about the money that is donated to Friends of YALSA (FOY), like through our Give $20 in 2020 campaign, are the programs the donations support. One program especially close to my heart is YALSA’s Board Fellow program! In 2019, I was honored and thrilled to be named YALSA’s Board Fellow.

I first heard about this opportunity a few years prior at the 2016 ALA Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida. I sat next to a YALSA member on a bus to a publisher event that evening. I was so happy being a part of the Great Graphic Novels for Teens selection committee, but I was also thinking of going outside my comfort zone in terms of getting more involved in YALSA. I really had no idea how to do that until I started talking to the YALSA member next to me. All these years later, I wish I knew who I spoke to because that person changed my YALSA life I explained to them about feeling like I wanted to do more, but I wasn’t sure how to do that exactly. I felt like applying to be on the YALSA Board proper was too big of a step for me, and it was then that they told me about the Board Fellow program. It seemed like the perfect step in the direction I knew I wanted to go. I could meet Board members, see how the process worked, be active and engaged, and grow my leadership skills in ways that I could use in my YALSA volunteer work, as well as at my own organization. I would be a non-voting member, but I was totally fine with that! I wanted to see how it worked before I threw in my “ayes” or “nays”.  It took me another couple of years to muster up the courage to apply, and I am so glad that I did.

I feel the Board Fellow program really opened my eyes to the work of the Board and introduced me to so many friends I have made in the process.  My experience as the Board Fellow showed me the bigger picture of YALSA work and how it affects all of us who work for and with teens in our libraries. I was incredibly thankful to receive the stipend that the Board Fellow receives from monies donated to FOY to help defray conference attendance costs over my one year appointment term.

The application for YALSA’s 2021 Board Fellow is due by December 1! I hope everyone who wants to take that next step in YALSA leadership will consider applying. And, thank you to everyone who has donated to FOY. Your contributions have helped members like me and from around the world. As I mentioned in my post last month, we know that everything is challenging right now. If you’d like to and are able to contribute, please consider becoming a Friend of YALSA (any denominations welcome) or donate $20 as part of this year’s Friend of YALSA fundraising campaign Give $20 in 2020. Thank you for your work supporting teens in our community and supporting your colleagues near and far.

-Traci Glass, Financial Advancement Committee Chair

Celebrate TeenTober with These New Resources!

TeenTober Logo

Celebrate TeenTober this October with the release of our new digital poster, bookmark, and toolkit!

TeenTober replaces YALSA’s previous Teen Read Week and Teen Tech Week celebrations to allow libraries the flexibility to celebrate all types of literacies according to their library and teen patrons’ schedule anytime during the month of October. It aims to celebrate teens, promote year-round teen services and the innovative ways teen services helps teens learn new skills, and fuel their passions in and outside the library. Library staff are also encouraged to utilize this new celebration to advocate for and raise awareness of the importance of year-round teen services in libraries.

To help libraries plan programming for TeenTober, YALSA has developed a list of suggested weekly topics for the celebration month:

  • Week 1: Literacies
  • Week 2: Writing
  • Week 3: Technology & Gaming
  • Week 4: Art & Music

Libraries are encouraged to adapt and alter the schedule to fit its library and teen patrons’ needs. Find more helpful resources related to planning, advocacy, and programs in the TeenTober toolkit. Don’t forget to also visit our Teen Programming HQ database to share and find more program ideas. Free marketing graphics such as a logo and social media graphics are also available. Share your celebration plans with @yalsa and join the conversation online with #TeenTober.

2020 Virtual Symposium Early Bird Registration Extended to 9/30

As we prepare to enter the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to assure you of our continued commitment towards providing the library community with the support and opportunities it needs to work for and with teens. With that in mind, YALSA is pleased to announce that the early-bird rate for the 2020 Virtual Young Adult Services Symposium will remain in effect through the end of September. This virtual event presents a unique opportunity to bring a broader spectrum of the cooperative community together around more accessible and affordable programming, removing the barriers to participation due to travel, health, financial, or time constraints.

We wish we could contribute more financially to support library staff. However, producing a quality, interactive virtual event with minimal sponsorship and providing programs that are closed-captioned for all viewers is a costly expense that often exceeds registration gains. As a result of this, extending the early bird rate is a small, and hopefully, helpful gesture we’d like to offer.

We are excited about the 2020 Virtual Symposium and the live sessions on Social Action, Safe Places, Equity in Action, and many more. The theme of “Biggest Little Spaces: How Libraries Serve the Expanding Worlds of Teens” is well-timed. We know the importance this meeting and the content presented provides in continuing your education, assisting your teens, and expanding your network.

September 30 will be your last opportunity to receive the early bird rate. That means you can still save up to $100; the member rate is $129, and the non-member rate is $249. Registration includes full access to all conference programming, including access to the content for one year. We hope you’ll join us November 6th – 8th.

Register today.

-Amanda Barnhart, YALSA President

-Tammy Dillard-Steels, YALS Executive Director

August 2020 President’s Report

Greetings YALSA members and youth advocates,

When I began the path to run for this position, there were several areas I was looking forward to contributing towards, namely in the areas of representation, as I identify as Hispanic and as a library staff who has spent more years as a library paraprofessional (17) than as a librarian (5). While I had not anticipated the challenges we would encounter this leadership term, I do feel that my experience has prepared me to create pathways of support for YALSA, its volunteers, and its members, during this extraordinary year of transition.

I may not have a product to show off to you right now, but I am undertaking the pre-work that is required to support YALSA in both short-term and long-term projects. I know that hardly describes what exactly is being done behind the curtain. However, successful projects involve teamwork which means the final product will continue to evolve until it is completed. Once such projects take on their final form, I will readily release that information through one of YALSA’s communication channels.

August Tasks (listed by date, oldest first)

  • Held a discussion and orientation with our ALA Liaison, Liz Nebeker to support their work in collaboration with ALA groups.
  • Participated on the hiring panel alongside the immediate past HUB manager, the YALSA Executive Director, and the YALSA Communications Specialist for The Hub Manager position. I was particularly interested to hear how candidates define diversity in literature and on their ideas for monitoring and evaluating for inclusive practices. Stay tuned for the press release of the selected HUB manager.
  • Held a valuable conversation with two YALSA members who were open and gracious to discuss supporting inclusive environments and members’ diverse needs. During this conversation, proactive next steps the association might explore on this issue were brainstormed.
  • Began conversations with Cindy Hohl, American Indian Library Association’s President, to explore collaboration opportunities with YALSA. Cindy has been tremendously helpful in sharing local and indigenous communities’ traditional ways of knowing as well as providing resources for learning.
  • Representatives from YALSA staff and leadership debriefed the past year’s efforts of the Social Media Taskforce and planned for its restart and expansion. These ideas are being crafted into a board document and will be presented to the YALSA board later this month.

Mark Your Calendars

  • I’m looking forward to our next Member webinar scheduled for September 10, 2020 Thursday, 2PM Eastern. Virtual Dungeons and Dragons Games: A How-To Guide will be facilitated by Michael Rogowski. For more information on the webinar, including non-member pricing, follow this link. (Currently, I’m relishing in playing a Tabaxi monk character with local librarians.)
  • Have you heard that the YALSA’s Young Adult Services Symposium’s virtual schedule has been posted?! Check it out and join us if you are able. We hope to see you this year or next.

Relevant Stats & Data

  • Donation and Membership information continues to remain unavailable at this time.

 

Respectfully submitted,
Amanda Barnhart
YALSA President 2020-2021

Volunteer on a YALSA Group!

This fall, President-Elect Kelly Czarnecki will appoint members to the following volunteer groups:

Blogging Teams – Term: 12/1 to 1/1

  • Amazing Audiobooks Blogging Team
  • Best Fiction for Young Adults Blogging Team
  • Graphic Novels Blogging Team
  • Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers Blogging Team

Book Awards – Term: 2/1 to 1/31

  • Alex Awards
  • Margaret A. Edwards 2022 Award
  • Michael L. Printz 2022 Award
  • Morris Award 2022
  • Non-Fiction 2022 Award
  • Odyssey Award

Juries – Term: members – 3 month appointment, starting 11/1; chairs – 4 month appointment starting 10/1

  • Conference Travel Scholarships Jury
  • Collection Development Grant Jury
  • Great Books Giveaway Award Jury
  • Henne Research Award Jury
  • Best Literacies Program Award Jury
  • Writing Award Jury
  • Innovation Award Jury
  • Volunteer of the Year Award Jury

Other Groups:

  • Advocacy Resources Community Listening Taskforce (Term 9/15 to 3/31)
  • Board Development Committee (Term 1/1 to 12/31)
  • Book Awards Oversight Committee (Term 2/1 to 1/31)
  • Midwinter Paper Presentation Planning Committee (Term 9/15 to 2/1)
  • Selection Lists Oversight Committee (Term 12/1 to 1/1)
  • Symposium Planning and Marketing Taskforce (Term 11/1 -10/31)

If you are interested in volunteering on any of the above groups, please submit a volunteer form by September 15 the September 23 extended date. You must sign into your ALA account in order to access the form. Learn more about each group at http://www.ala.org/yalsa/workingwithyalsa/yalsacommittee. Questions? Contact Kelly Czarnecki, YALSA President-Elect at kellyczarnecki1@gmail.com.