August proved to be a busy month that included attending my first ever BCALA conference in Birmingham, AL, conference calls with chairs of various YALSA committees, and calls from the press for various interviews.
‘ Thank You’s
- Thanks to the hard work of the 2010 Nominating Committee led by John Sexton, we are one step closer to having a full slate for the 2011 YALSA elections. Watch for more information on the candidates on the blog, and make plans now to attend the Coffee with the Candidates Forum at the Midwinter in San Diego, CA.
- Thank you also to the YALSA office staff led by Executive Director Beth Yoke who worked with ALA’s Development Office to write and submit a grant to Dollar General.’ YALSA was awarded $70,000 to fund summer reading and Teen Read Weekâ„¢ efforts in 2011, including mini grants to libraries, creating Spanish language TRW materials and distributing sets of the 2011 Teens’ Top Ten winners.
- Thanks to all the members and groups who have donated items to YALSA’s Not so Silent Auction so far.’ Amy Alessio is compiling a dessert cookbook to auction off at the event.’ She still needs recipes from members, and it’s not too late for you to participate.’ The deadline to turn in your recipe is Sept. 30th.’ There’s an easy to use template at http://yalsa.ala.org/midwinter11/cookbooktemplate.doc’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘
‘ COMPLETED
- Chaired Aug. 19th Board meeting via conference call to discuss post-conference reports from Chairs. A draft of the minutes are available at http://ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/boardandcommittees/minutes/aug10_draft.pdf
- Attended the BCALA Conference in Birmingham, AL where I represented YALSA by staffing the YALSA Booth, hosted a YALSA happy hour and attended sessions.
- Finalized YALSA representatives for ALA committees for the 2010-2011 term.
- Worked with the Board on selecting a location for the 2012 YA Literature Symposium.’ The 2012 Symposium will be held in St. Louis, MO, Nov. 2-4, 2012.’
- Corresponded with AASL President Nancy Everhart regarding the appointment of a chair for the Interdivisional Committee on School and Public Library Cooperation.
- Worked with YALSA’s Communications Specialist to prepare for and interview with Lini Kadaba from the Philadelphia Enquirer for a profile of Ellen Hopkins which included a reference to YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten.
- Worked with YALSA’s Communications Specialist to prepare and interview with Steven Nester, a freelance writer researching an article based on the premise that baby boomers are buying and reading the YA titles they enjoyed in their youth, as a way of connecting with the past.
- Communicated and facilitated various discussions with board members and committee chairs to keep the work of the association moving forward. ‘ ‘ ‘
‘ IN PROGRESS
- Working with the Board and Executive Committee on the agenda for the Fall Executive Committee Meeting in October.
- Preparing for interview with Jessica Stites from Ms. Magazine for an article on feminism and young adult literature.
- Working with my President’s Advisory Taskforce to plan and implement Think Big Summits to be held throughout the year virtually in Sept., Jan. and June, with an in-person Summit to be held at ALA’s 2011 Midwinter Meeting.
‘ ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT YALSA NEWS
- Register for Teen Read Week 2010 at www.ala.org/teenread (it’s free)! Find activity ideas, publicity tools, and more. Be part of Books with Beat @ your library, Oct. 17-23!
‘ Registration is open for YALSA’s Young Adult Literature Symposium at www.ala.org/yalitsymposium.’ Take advantage of early bird registration rates by Sept. 17 and join YALSA Nov. 5-7 in Albuquerque, New Mexico for Diversity, Literature, and Teens: Beyond Good Intentions. Registration starts at $195 for YALSA members and New Mexico Library Association members!
‘ Tell us about your advocacy efforts and you could win $500! Learn more about YALSA’s Thinking Big about Advocacy Contest by visiting www.ala.org/yalsa. Applications due February 1, 2011.
‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ –respectfully submitted 9/9/10, Kim Patton
