Congratulations! YALSA named its two 2010 Emerging Leaders! Anna Koval, teacher-librarian at Casa Grande High School in Petaluma, California, and Amy Barr, youth services librarian and assistant director at Kilgore Memorial Library in York, Nebraska. Both will attend the 2010 Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference. The Emerging Leaders are funded through the Friends of YALSA.

E-Chat Next Week! Mark your calendars! YALSA’s monthly online chats return next week in ALA Connect. On Nov. 4, we’ll be discussing inexpensive programming and ways to stretch your programming dollars with Jenine Lillian, editor of the new YALSA book, Cool Teen Programs for under $100. To join us, visit YALSA’s area in ALA Connect. YALSA members should use their login for the ALA website. If you’ve lost your password, you can recover it through the ALA website. Once logged in, head to the YALSA area (it’s http://connect.ala.org/yalsa or you can navigate there within Connect by choosing “YALSA” from under “My ALA Groups”) and then click “Chats.”

Lit Blog Applications and CE Proposals Due 10/30! Interested in editing YALSA’s new blog, focused exclusively on teen literature? Read the announcement to see the qualifications and find out how to apply. The deadline to propose new continuing education (online courses and face-to-face institutes) is tomorrow as well; see our announcement for topic ideas and the proposal form. Applications for the new blog manager and the CE proposals are both due to Beth Yoke at byoke@ala.org tomorrow.

After the jump, find out how you can sign up for special events at ALA’s Midwinter Meeting, apply for $40K in grants and awards, promote the Teens’ Top Ten at your library, or receive a stipend to attend the 2010 Young Adult Literature Symposium.

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Online Course Registration! You have just one week left to register for YALSA’s fall session of online courses! YALSA’s online courses include AIMing at Tweens: Advising, Involving, and Motivating, taught by Teri Lesesne; Graphic Novels and Teen Readers: The Basics and Beyond, taught by Francisca Goldsmith; and Reaching Teens with Gaming, taught by Beth Gallaway. Courses start at $135 for YALSA members. Courses begin Oct. 5. Details and registration can be found at www.ala.org/yalsa/onlinecourses.

Symposium Proposals Due Next Week! Want to present at YALSA’s 2010 Young Adult Literature Symposium? Proposals for a preconference, 90-minute program sessions, and paper presentations must be turned into YALSA by Oct. 1. Application forms can be found online at www.ala.org/yalitsymposium. Contact Nichole Gilbert at ngilbert@ala.org with any questions.

Last Chance for Bundled Registration! Planning to attend both Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference in 2010? Be sure to sign up for ALA’s bundled registration, which ends Sept. 30. Bundled registration saves members 20% over advanced registration fees for each individual event. Starting Oct. 1, you can add registration for YALSA’s Midwinter Institute, “Libraries 3.0: Teen Edition” and YALSA’s Midwinter Social Event, “Games, Gadgets & Gurus.”

Edit YALSA’s Research Journal! Applications to edit YALSA’s upcoming quarterly online research journal are due by Sept. 30. Take a look at the duties and qualifications; applications must be sent to me at skuenn@ala.org by Sept. 30.

That’s it for this week’s update! To stay up to date on the latest from the YALSA Office, sign up to follow YALSA on Twitter or become a fan of YALSA on Facebook!

Teen Read Week Registration Winding Down Teen Read Week registration ends next week! If you haven’t already, sign up today and take a stand for the importance of teen reading. After you register, check out the Teen Read Week website for activity ideas and publicity tools (including PSAs featuring Nancy Cartwright) to get attention for your celebration. TRW registration ends Sept. 18.

Make Sure Your Teens Voice Their Choice Teens’ Top Ten voting is in the final stretch, too! Teens can vote online at www.ala.org/teenstopten for their favorite books from the last year through Sept. 18. Then, tune in during Teen Read Week for a webcast announcing the winners, featuring Superstars and Divas from World Wrestling Entertainment.

Tech Poster Proposals Now Open YALSA will sponsor a poster session at ALA Annual Conference 2010 on Teen Tech Week! Show off your work in DC this summer. Proposals accepted through Oct. 16. Read our Tech Poster Session page for details.

After the jump, learn more about YALSA’s latest book, how to get your program or poster into the 2010 YA Lit Symposium, and how you can win an online course from YALSA!

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YALSA’s Online Courses Cooler temperatures, falling leaves … why not complete the picture by signing up for one of YALSA’s Online Courses this fall? YALSA is offering three courses  (including two brand-new ones!): AIMing at Tweens: Advising, Involving, Motivating (taught by Teri Lesesne); Graphic Novels and Teen Readers: The Basics and Beyond (taught by Francisca Goldsmith) and Reaching Teens with Gaming (taught by Beth Gallaway). Read descriptions and register at YALSA’s Online Courses page.

Bundled Registration Open If you’re planning to attend both ALA conferences this year (Midwinter Meeting in Boston, Jan. 15-19 and Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., June 24-29) , take advantage of bundled registration and save 20% off of advanced registration for each conference separately. You’ll be able to register for hotels now, too. Starting Oct. 1, you can add registration for YALSA’s Midwinter Institute, “Libraries 3.0: Teen Edition” and YALSA’s Midwinter Social Event, “Games, Gadgets & Gurus.”

After the jump, learn how you can propose a program or paper for the 2010 YA Lit Symposium, see how you can preorder YALSA’s newest book, tell YALSA your opinion on future continuing education topics, and find out deadlines for the Teens’ Top Ten and Teen Read Week.

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Teens’ Top Ten Voting Begins Monday! The Teens’ Top Ten opens for voting on Monday! Teens can vote for their favorite books from the past year at the Teens’ Top Ten website through Sept. 18. We’re giving teens four weeks to vote this year, to make sure that every teen’s vote counts. Winners will be announced in a webcast featuring World Wrestling Entertainment Superstars and Divas (plus a few special guests!) during Teen Read Week, Oct. 18-24.

Canada: The New Frontier for the WrestleMania Reading Challenge For the first time, YALSA and World Wrestling Entertainment will open registration for the WrestleMania Reading Challenge to Canadian residents, excluding Quebec. Registration at this time is open only to residents of Canada (excluding Quebec). Canadian librarians can sign up using an online form through Aug. 31.

Go Back to School with YALSA Relive your school days and sign up for YALSA’s top-notch professional development! We’re offering three classes for the fall session (including two brand-new courses). Join us for AIMing at Tweens: Advising, Involving, Motivating (taught by Teri Lesesne); Graphic Novels and Teen Readers: The Basics and Beyond (taught by Francisca Goldsmith) and Reaching Teens with Gaming (taught by Beth Gallaway). Read descriptions and register at YALSA’s Online Courses page. Registration ends Oct. 2.

After the jump, find out about how to propose a session or win a travel stipend for the YA Lit Symposium in 2010, encourage your patrons to nominate you for the 2009 I Love My Librarian Award, sign up for Teen Read Week, and more.

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YALSA’s YA Lit Symposium Needs You Think about joining YALSA in 2010 for the Young Adult Literature Symposium, Nov. 5-7, 2010, in Albuquerque, N.M, with a theme  of “Beyond Good Intentions: Teens, Literature and Diversity.” Proposals for programs, papers, and the preconference will be accepted at the symposium website through Oct. 1. We’re also giving away two stipends to offset travel costs, one for someone whose worked directly with teens in a library setting for ten years or less and one for a student in an ALA-accredited MLS program (you must be enrolled in an MLS program at the start of the symposium); stipend applications are due by Jan. 4, 2010. Details on both are available at www.ala.org/yalitsymposium.

Be an Emerging Leader! YALSA will sponsor two Emerging Leaders for 2010. The Emerging Leaders program enables newer librarians from across the country to participate in problem-solving work groups; network with peers; gain an inside look into ALA structure, and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity. It puts them on the fast track to ALA and professional leadership. Applications are due Aug. 7. Learn more at the Emerging Leaders wiki.

After the jump, details on our online courses and member grants!

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Update to the Update: ALA has extended the deadline for Emerging Leader applications to Aug. 7.

WrestleMania Reading Challenge Registration Ends Tomorrow July 31 – yes, Friday – is your last chance to register for the 2009-2010 WrestleMania Reading Challenge. Why should you register? A teen or tween at your library could win a trip to WrestleMania XXVI in Phoenix and you could win $2,000 for your library! But don’t just take it from us; listen to perspectives from a winning librarian or read the reaction of teen winners on this blog.

Be a YALSA Emerging Leader YALSA will sponsor two Emerging Leaders for 2010. The Emerging Leaders program enables newer librarians from across the country to participate in problem-solving work groups; network with peers; gain an inside look into ALA structure, and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity. It puts them on the fast track to ALA and professional leadership. Applications are due Aug. 7. Learn more at the Emerging Leaders wiki.

After the jump, learn more about YALSA’s next round of online courses, find out how you can present at the 2010 YA Lit Symposium, and discover YALSA’s Grants & Awards – we’re giving away more than $35,000 in 2010.

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Be an Emerging Leader! YALSA will again sponsor two Emerging Leaders as part of ALA’s annual program. The Emerging Leaders program enables newer librarians from across the country to participate in problem-solving work groups; network with peers; gain an inside look into ALA structure, and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity. It puts them on the fast track to ALA and professional leadership. Applications are due July 31. Learn more at the Emerging Leaders wiki.

Talk to Us About Risks YALSA will launch a monthly e-chat program on August 5, beginning with a chat in YALSA’s ALA Connect space on taking smart risks with teen services. President Linda Braun and members of her task force will host the chat. Join us in YALSA’s space in ALA Connect on August 5 at 8 p.m. Eastern. Mark your calendars for the September 2 e-chat on Teen Read Week.

WrestleMania Registration Ends Next Friday YALSA and WWE’s WrestleMania Reading Challenge gives teens and tweens at your library the chance to win prizes, including a trip to WrestleMania XXVI in Phoenix next March — and your library could win $2,000! But you have to sign up to be eligible and WrestleMania registration ends July 31. Sign up for the WrestleMania Reading Challenge when you register for Teen Read Week.

After the jump, find out more about YALSA’s fall online courses and how you can be part of the 2010 Young Adult Literature Symposium.

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YALSA is back from Annual Conference, re-energized and ready to serve. See more about what happened at Annual in Linda Braun’s post-conference wrap-up post.

Annual handouts online! You can download materials from ALA Annual Conference (including YALSA’s events and programs) from the ALA Presentations Wiki at http://presentations.ala.org.

YALSA’s monthly e-chats are back! YALSA will host an online chat on the first Wednesday of each month at 8 p.m. Eastern, starting August 5. For our next-echat, on August 5, President Linda Braun and members of her presidential advisory task force will lead the discussion on taking smart risks for teen services, as part of her presidential theme, Risky Business. Join us in YALSA’s space in ALA Connect on August 5 at 8 p.m. Eastern!

Online course registration open! Register today for one of YALSA’s fall online courses. This fall, we’re offering three courses (including two brand-new classes!): AIMing at Tweens: Advising, Involving, Motivating (taught by Teri Lesesne); Graphic Novels and Teen Readers: The Basics and Beyond (taught by Francisca Goldsmith) and Reaching Teens with Gaming (taught by Beth Gallaway). Read descriptions and register at YALSA’s Online Courses page.

After the jump, learn more about the symposium, Young Adult Library Services’ new award, and how you can help YALSA engage in Risky Business this year.

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YALSA’s Next Online Chat! Join YALSA on July 1 for our second online chat! President Sarah Debraski will lead a chat on summer reading programs in ALA Connect, starting at 8 p.m. on July 1. Details in this blog post. Can’t make it? Check the YALSA blog on July 2 to see a transcript.

YALSA Needs Usability Testers at ALA Annual Coming to ALA Annual Conference? Help YALSA and ALA improve website usability by signing up to be one of our usability testers! YALSA needs four usability testers to participate in a session on Sunday, July 12, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. in McCormick Place West W-472. Participants will receive a $50 gift card for the ALA Store. Interested? Contact Stevie Kuenn at skuenn@ala.org by Wednesday, July 1.

After the jump, read more about YALSA’s Ultimate Teen Bookshelf, the United We Serve Initiative, Quick and Popular Reads for Teens, and symposium deadlines!

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