Monthly President’s Report – December 2011
December was all about getting ready for Midwinter.
Below is a summary of activities that I have completed or am working on.
Completed Tasks
- Committee Chairs: Had phone conversations with several YALSA committee chairs about the work of their committees.
- Board Activities:
- Participated in Board Chat on planning for Midwinter.
- Chaired YALSA Board meeting by conference call to discuss chair quarterly reports.
- The Board had several discussions on ALA Connect and conducted several votes, all of which will be included on the Midwinter agenda.
- Writing: ‘ Wrote an article for the YALSA blog on the death of Dorothy Broderick.
- Committee/Jury/Taskforce Appointments:
- Appointed members to fill vacancies on several committees.
‘ Works in Progress
- Continuing to appoint members to new committees and task forces
- Continuing to work with Board members on their self-assessments and learning plans.
- Worked with a Board subcommittee to consider applications for the 2012-13 YALSA Board Fellowship. The Board Fellow will be announced in January.
‘ Strategic Planning. The Executive Committee worked online to prioritize the tactics.
‘ Media & Outreach
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Kennedy of About.com on teen reading trends.
- Interviewed by Joyce Crane of the Westford Eagle regarding graphic novels.
- Interviewed by Vincent Jackson of the News Atlantic Press on teen reading trends.
- Sent holiday greetings to various YALSA supporters as well as an e-greeting to all YALSA members.
‘ Important YALSA News & Reminders
- The Youth Media Awards will be announced on Monday, January 23, beginning at 7:45 a.m. CST in Dallas. ‘ If you can’t be there to watch me announce the winners of the Printz, Edwards, Morris, Nonfiction, and Alex Awards, you can:
- Sign up for a live’ Webcast‘ from the Dallas Convention Center beginning at 7:30 a.m. CST.’ ‘ Virtual seating will be available on a first-come,’ first-serve basis.
- Follow along on Twitter: #alayma
- Watch YALSA’s website for the full list of winners
- If you are in Dallas, please come to the AASL/ALSC/YALSA membership reception on Monday, January 23 at 6 p.m. in the Adolphus Hotel. It’s your chance to meet other members, dish about the new award winners, and share your ideas about YALSA with me and the other board members. See you there!
- In early 2012, look for several new YALSA initiatives, including the YALSA Academy on YouTube, and a new YALSA book award iPhone app!
- In January, winners of YALSA member grants and awards will be announced, including:
- The YALSA Writing Awards
- The Baker & Taylor/YALSA Conference grants
- The BWI/YALSA Collection Development grant
- The ABC-Clio/Greenwood/YALSA Service to Young Adults Achievement Award
- The MAE Award for Best Literature Program for Teens
- The Frances Henne/YALSA/VOYA Research Grant
- The Great Books Giveaway Competition
- If you’re looking for continuing education, check out YALSA’s Webinars-on-demand, free to YALSA members.
- Sign up for YALSA’s new self-paced online course, “Connect, Create, Collaborate: Supporting Teen Needs with Technology,†presented by Linda W. Braun. If you can’t attend conferences, online courses are a great way to keep up to date in the profession.
- If you are going to Midwinter, or live near Dallas, find out how you can give your library’s standard teen services an easy-to-implement boost at’ YALSA’s Innovations in Essential Teen Services half-day workshop from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 20, prior to the’ ALA’ Midwinter Meeting. Join YALSA’ for easy updates on providing readers’ advisory, homework help, teen space design, promoting and developing literacy skills and more!
- Start preparing for Teen Tech Weekâ„¢ by signing up for the TTW ning.
- If you are interested in an appointment to a YALSA virtual task force, jury, or process committee, be sure to submit your volunteer form now. President-Elect Jack Martin will start making appointments in March for committee terms to begin after Annual 2012.
Thank Yous and Congratulations
- Congratulations to Board member Sandra Hughes-Hassell, the 2012 recipient of the ALISE Award for Teaching Excellence in the field of Library and Information Science Education. Last year’s recipient, Denise Agosto, is also a YALSA member, so we’re on a roll! Thanks to all the youth services professors who are educating a new generation of terrific YA librarians.
- Congratulations to YALSA member Michelle Luhtala, one of the ten winners of the I Love My Librarian Award. Read her nomination here.
- Thank you to the Financial Advancement Committee and the Books for Teens Jury for raising just over $500 in December.’ An anonymous donor said they’d match the funds if we could reach $500, so we actually raised just over $1,000 for Books for Teens in the month of December.
- Thank you to Teri Lesesne and the Morris Award Committee and Jen Hubert and the Nonfiction Award Committee for their hard work in coming up with the short lists of finalists, which were announced in December—winners to be announced in January.
YALSA Membership: Total membership at the end of November was 5,277 members, down 2.1% from the previous year. Don’t forget to renew!
Friends of YALSA: Friends of YALSA donations were $500 in October and $290 in November.
Respectfully Submitted,
Sarah Flowers
YALSA President
