YALSA Board

Taskforce Members for YALSA President’s Initiative

YALSA President 2021-2022, Kelly Czarnecki, seeks member volunteers to serve on the Presidential Taskforce! This role is for a one-year virtual appointment where the taskforce will focus on developing activities that support the President’s theme; giving library staff tools to re-building youth social capital and honoring collective care to help support the new YALSA Strategic Plan.

Outcomes that will guide the taskforce work include:

- Work with YALSA staff to develop and provide membership with continuing education in the form of podcast recordings with vetted speakers that align with YALSA’s work with Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
- Connect with relevant individuals and groups within YALSA to support the creation of theme-related resources.
- Connect with “non-members” who work with youth in libraries.
- Develop a President’s Program at ALA Annual 2022 in Washington DC.

Thank you for your interest! This is a great way to develop your network, experience in working with others virtually and nationally, and to continue to move the YALSA organization forward. We all have something to contribute so don’t hesitate to apply! All members-including new and LIS students are welcome.

Interested members should contact Letitia Smith, Membership Marketing Manager, (lsmith@ala.org) by September 24. If you have any questions regarding this taskforce, please reach out to YALSA President, Kelly Czarnecki via email at kellyczarnecki1@gmail.com.

Kelly Czarnecki (she/her)
YALSA President
2021-2022

Photo credit: “Approaching White Mill Bridge” by crapatdarts

What is it like to serve on the YALSA Board?

[Guest blogger Karen Lemmons is a current YALSA Board member and serves on the Board Development Committee]

What is it like to be a Board member, for those considering governance? Is it doable to balance the workload whether you’re a school/public librarian/professor/director/or even work outside of a library?

Let’s face it. Whenever I am asked to serve on a committee or add additional responsibilities to my job, I am reluctant. Either I am not interested in serving on that committee or, if I am, I do not have the time. In addition to being one of only two school librarians in the entire district, I also teach five classes. I serve on the School Leadership Team. In addition, I am the Laptop Coordinator, the school’s web content/social media manager, a robotics coach, and I run/operate a school store to raise funds for our robotics team. I am also a mentor in a grant, working with future school librarians.

However, as busy as I am, I do have down/free time during the school year. Besides the summer and scheduled breaks, I do have times when I am less busy. I also plan and schedule self-care/mental wellness activities/time throughout the school year, in which I do what I need/like to do for balance, relaxation, and restoration.

This is my last year of my three year term as a YALSA Board director-at-large. Did I think I could do it? Initially no, because of all of my job responsibilities. As a newly elected Board member, I knew a few of my Board responsibilities, but I didn’t know the amount of committee/board work I would do. But now I say yes!!!! I have served on book award committees that are very time intensive yet rewarding. Serving on this Board is less time intensive and equally rewarding. I have contributed to YALSA’s strategic plan, participated in equity, diversity, and inclusion training and voted on issues that help advance our organization, support and benefit our YALSA members. As a board member, I also attend the monthly Board chats (usually one hour), if my schedule permits, and the required twice-a-year meetings of the Board. I’ve volunteered or was appointed to serve on committees. Depending on the committee responsibilities and timeline, the work is shared by other members. And I respond to time-sensitive emails and chats via ALA Connect.

Above all, I have had the honor and privilege of working with an amazing group of people! These members are beautiful, loving, caring, respectful and professional. They honor and respect your opinions and comments in the meetings, chats, and emails. They are sincere and dedicated to advancing the equity, diversity and inclusion initiative. Their collective wisdom and knowledge developed a strategic plan that benefits all YALSA members who serve our young adults and they are committed to implementing this strategic plan in everything they do.

Knowing what I know now about serving on the YALSA Board, if I was asked to serve again, I would. I thoroughly enjoyed working with YALSA.

Karen Lemmons, YALSA Board Director-at-Large

Q & A with Hub Manager Sara Beth Coffman

Greetings! You’ve probably seen the post here last week where we’re seeking a Hub Manager Member for 2021-2022. I had a chance to connect with the current and amazing Hub Manager Member Sara Beth Coffman, to ask her a few questions about her experience.

Q: What was the most rewarding part of serving as the YALSA Hub manager?
SBC: Can I give TWO? Because the first, and most obvious, is working with the amazing chairs of the Selected Lists teams. These women are extraordinary — creative and organized and funny and generous. They have taught me so much, and though most of them will be cycling off this year, I’m confident their replacements will be equally wonderful. The second and seriously rewarding part of the job has been working with authors and publicists and publishers to celebrate our award-winning titles and getting a look ahead at the cool books to come!

Q: What skills do you feel you gained through this experience?
SBC: Most of the skills I’ve been accessing for the job aren’t new to me, but this position definitely put them to a good stretch! Communication, organization, and efficiency systems are a big part of what I do. And patience. Definitely patience.

Q: What advice would you share with members considering to be the next Hub manager?
SBC: I would advise anyone thinking about taking this position to be ready to be flexible! You can put more or less energy into the work, depending on your available time and creativity!

There you have it! Straight from the Hub Manager Member, Sara Beth Coffman. Check out the previous post on how to apply by September 13 (it’s coming up quick!). Also, if you drink latte’s-there will be plenty to be had from your favorite barista as you’re coming up with new ideas for the Hub!

~Kelly Czarnecki
YALSA President 2021-2022

Photo credit: “Latte art at Freestate Coffee” by duncan

YALSA Representative with ALA for USBBY Needed!

We love our acronyms-don’t we?! If you’re not familiar-this is another one to know-USBBY. The United States Board on Books for Young People! As their web site states, “it is a nonprofit organization devoted to building bridges of international understanding through children’s and young adult books; it serves as the U.S. national section of the IBBY.” (Check out the site to see what this acronym is if you can’t stand the suspense).

To give a bit more background, ALA is a patron organization with USBBY. They host a meeting at ALA LibLearnX (previously MidWinter) and a program session at the Annual Conference in the summer. Each year the ALA Executive Board approves the selection of the ALA representative to the
USBBY Board (the two terms are staggered, and AASL, ALSC, and YALSA rotate putting a name forward of a member who will well represent ALA).

We are seeking one replacement position to represent YALSA with ALA to serve as a Director on their Board for this one year position. If you are interested, you will need to be a current YALSA member, have volunteer experience, have an interest in Young Adult books and abide by the ALA policy of a three committee limit.

Please send a copy of your resume and why you feel you are qualified to Kelly Czarnecki, YALSA President (kellyczarnecki1@gmail.com) by Friday, September 10. Thank you!

YALSA President’s Report – August 2021

Tweet Greetings! August was the first month where the new Board met after Annual for our monthly Board Chat! The highlight of the month was rolling out the new YALSA Strategic Plan to YALSA Chairs. Thank you so much all that were able to attend and be part of helping give shape to our new direction. Stay tuned at the end of September for a Snack & Chat (9/30 at 1p CST) where there’s an open discussion for all regarding the Strategic Plan.

In other highlights:

- Sent request for memorial resolution to ALA Liaison for members Ann Pechacek and Sandra Payne
- Shared news and call for volunteers for Social Media Marketing Strategic Committee shift from a Taskforce (based on Board action at Annual)
- Shared news and call for volunteers for Updating Core YALSA Toolkits Taskforce (based on Board action at Annual)
- Connected online with 2021 YALSA Spectrum Scholar, Vidhya Jagannathan
- Read August Chair Quarterly Reports. Working on connecting with liaisons to best support our amazing Chairs
- Drafted a job description for Board Fellow Ex Officio position (based on Exec Board discussion prior to Annual)
- Confirmed appointment for YALSA representation with the Accessibility Assembly with RUSA
- Updated President’s Theme Taskforce. Called for Board vote. Quorum met and will share more details in September
- Started a shared sign-up sheet with the Board on how we can be even more transparent with the membership. A look ‘behind the curtain’ on what we’re working on and who we are. So excited to see this roll out!

Stats and Financials (reminders)
YALSA Membership Stats – the Membership Report from Annual has our most recent data

YALSA Fiscal Report – the Fiscal Report from Annual has our most recent information on YALSA’s financial standing.

Thank you all for checking in and being a part of YALSA. With the start of the new school year during the pandemic, and for some of us going back to the office for the first time in awhile- there no doubt continues to be heaviness on our shoulders. Be good to yourself and take a minute to acknowledge the great work you’re doing on a daily basis with the youth you serve in whatever capacity we can do at this time.

Any questions or comments, feel free to post below or email: kellyczarnecki1@gmail.com.

Kelly Czarnecki (she/her)
YALSA President
2021-2022

Apply to be a candidate to serve on the YALSA Board!

Many associations function through the work of volunteer members. YALSA is one of these associations, and every year YALSA, with its thousands of members, looks for dedicated folks to run for various elected positions on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors.

Who finds these candidates? YALSA has a Board Development Committee made up of five dedicated professionals: the previous immediate past president and four involved members.

Each year specific positions are available and each opening has specific requirements based on the description of it and current makeup of the Board. In our quest to find a perfect match for each slot, we look for diversity…in its broadest sense: gender, location, type of library worked/works in, years in the profession, areas of specific expertise, and previous experience. It is this mix on the board that allows YALSA to attract new members and retain long term ones, all the while making sure we are innovative, educational, professional and fun. Because YALSA’s Board of Directors has recently adopted a new Strategic Plan, this is a perfect time to become involved!

Our deadline is to have a slate of candidates who will appear on the Spring 2022 ballot to present to the YALSA Board for approval by the end of October. Our process is to review all volunteer forms that have been submitted and review the requirements for each available slot. We are currently looking for several Board positions including Director-at-Large, Secretary and President-Elect.

For more information on the responsibilities of each role on the Board, please visit the Governance page which includes some handy FAQs to help get you started.

Are you interested, a current member, and ready to put your name forward? Please submit the online nomination form by September 10, 2021.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at todd.yalsa@gmail.com

Thanks!

Todd Krueger, Board Development Committee Chair, on behalf of the Board Development Committee

New Taskforce for Volunteers!

YALSA is known for its work in providing professional development toolkits to teen serving library staff. Take a look at a listing of all the toolkits YALSA provides under the ‘Resources and Tools’ tab-it’s a lot!

Like most information, the content periodically needs to be evaluated to determine what, if anything, may need to be updated in order to be more relevant. If that’s a task you would like to participate in-here’s your chance!

The YALSA Board recently passed a motion during Annual to create a taskforce to evaluate the need to update both the Teen Literacies Toolkit and the Teen Advocacy Toolkit with a recommendation report submitted by December of this year. While other toolkits may need to be evaluated as well, we’re starting with these two first.

If you’re wanting to apply, fill out the Volunteer Committee Form. Make sure your YALSA membership is updated and you follow the ALA Policy of a 3 committee limit.

Any questions? Contact Kelly Czarnecki, YALSA President 2021-2022 (kellyczarnecki1@gmail.com)

Volunteers Needed! Social Media Marketing Strategic Committee

Greetings! No doubt you’ve likely come across a Tweet, an e-news blurb or maybe even a forwarded email from a friend that YALSA is currently looking for volunteers! You’ll hear even more about all of the openings here soon from President-Elect, Franklin Escobedo. In the meantime, I will be doing a few separate posts on some positions we’re seeking volunteers for as they came as a result of Board approved votes at Annual.

This post is regarding the move to transition this particular taskforce to a strategic committee. For a bit of background on what the difference is, visit the Working with YALSA link here.

The Social Media Marketing Strategic Committee is just that opportunity! If you’re considering applying for this great prospect, you’ll want to keep the following in mind:

YALSA Membership is required and must abide by the ALA Policy of a 3 committee limit.
This is a one year commitment
Time commitment is gauged at 1-5 hours a week with weekly assignments and firm deadlines
It is recommended to have an idea of how to Tweet and post (and if you’re new at it-to practice first!)
Be familiar (and connect with!) current YALSA social media communication (YALSA Facebook, YALSA Twitter, and YouTube)

If you’re ready to apply, the Committee Volunteer Form is here (Note: you will need to login with your member information to view).

While I’d have to say all the YALSA volunteer opportunities are ‘pretty cool’-being part of the social media committee definitely ranks right up there! If you have questions or would like to connect with current members of the taskforce (which is now a strategic committee) please reach out! Kelly Czarnecki, YALSA President, (kellyczarnecki1@gmail.com). Thank you for considering this great opportunity with YALSA!

Annual Roundup

Greetings! This is my first post on the YALSA blog as YALSA President 2021-2022! I am so excited to work with and for all in this upcoming year and so grateful for all the work that Amanda Barnhart, YALSA President 2020-2021 gave during her term.

The YALSA Board was hard at work during the recent virtual ALA Annual conference because of the great work of all the members! We thank you for all that you give to YALSA. If you were unable to attend the conference or want to review any documents, visit the 2021 Annual Conference link here.

Some highlights (which were approved by the board) to whet your appetite for when you have more time to cozy up on the couch or are passing time on your commute:

Upcoming volunteer opportunities (Teen Programming HQ Advisory Board, President’s Program Task Force, and updating Toolkits Task Force). Stay tuned for information on how to apply!
In aligning with our DEI goals to open up participation, book award committee attendance for the Printz, Nonfiction, Morris and Alex Award is not required to be in-person at the next Annual conference! Yes, read that again! In taking into consideration the cost and time of travel which can prohibit participation, and striving for more inclusivity as an organization, this proposal was brought forward. A thoughtful survey was sent to the committee members and chairs and the decision was based on these results. For more information on committee attendance for the above mentioned, see this board document here. Policies and procedures regarding this decision will be updated as well.
Last but not least <insert drum roll> forthcoming will be more information on our work with the new strategic plan. If you’ve never had the pleasure of updating a strategic plan-it’s quite a process but so worth having that foundation in which to work from and we can’t wait to share the details!

As mentioned, these are just some of the features that are worth noting. If you have time, check out the nitty gritty on all the topics covered, ask questions (kellyczarnecki1@gmail.com) or leave a comment below.

Kelly Czarnecki
YALSA President
2021-2022

YALSA Seeks Member Volunteers

There’s a lot of great opportunities coming up to be more involved with YALSA! We’re currently taking applications for strategic committees. All participation is virtual, so members are asked to be skilled at using online tools such as Google Docs, Google Hangouts, ALA Connect, Zoom, etc. To apply you will access the form here: Committee Volunteer Form .

If you have questions or issues please contact Letitia Smith, YALSA Membership, lsmith@ala.org

Terms begin July 1, 2021 and end June 30, 2022. For information specific to each committee, visit the link here.

AASL/ALSC/YALSA Committee on School & Public Library Cooperation
Division & Membership Promotion
Editorial Advisory Board (for YALS & the YALSAblog)
Education Advisory Board
Financial Advancement
Hub Advisory Board
JRLYA Advisory Board
Organization & Bylaws
Research
Teens’ Top Ten
Thank you for your interest!
~Kelly Czarnecki, YALSA President-Elect