September 2013 President’s Report
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) is a national organization of librarians, library workers, and advocates whose mission is to expand and strengthen library services for teens, aged 12-18. Through its member-driven advocacy, research, and professional development initiatives YALSA builds the capacity of libraries and librarians to engage, serve, and empower teens.
Activities
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Worked with the Board to appoint current YALSA Legislation Chair and past Popular Paperbacks Chair Jennifer Korn to fill an unexpected Board vacancy through June 2014. Many thanks to Jennifer for agreeing to lend her talents to the association in this capacity.
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Continued to appoint members to serve on various taskforces and committees and finalized the rosters of others. Many thanks to incoming taskforce Chairs Mary Anne Nichols (Student Engagement), Erica Compton (Maker Spaces), and Sara Ryan (Administrator Resources) for valiantly agreeing to serve on these newly formed groups.
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Communicated with various stakeholders regarding the status of documents slated for consideration at YALSA Executive and Board meetings, including Teen Read Week, Teen Tech Week, and Writing Award Jury Evaluation taskforces. I look forward to digging into the fruits of the hard work of these groups.
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Formed a workgroup around and provided feedback to a group of YALSA and ALISE members regarding the creation of a possible proposal which would award funds to those seeking funds to support dissertation research in line with priority areas in the National Research Agenda. Stay tuned for board discussion on that possible course of action at the Midwinter meeting in Philadelphia.
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Worked with the Beth Yoke, Executive Director and members of the YALSA Executive Committee to finalize an agenda for fall executive meetings with both internal association leaders as well we with other divisions and ALA leaders.
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Worked with the Board to finalize a citation for an organization that has supported the efforts of local libraries to support and empower teens. Look for an official announcement regarding recognition of this important, ongoing support in the near future.
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Responded to interview requests from Malinda Lo for Diversity in YA about diversity in YALSA’s selection lists, as well as the Boston Globe (innovation in teen services) and New York Magazine (YA publishing trends).
Updates
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YALSA is accepting program proposals (through November 1st) for the 2014 Young Adult Literature Symposium, which will take place October 31st-November 2nd in stimulating Austin, Texas.
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A draft report from the year-long National Forum on Teens and Libraries will be available for public feedback from October 15-November 1st. Look forward for exciting direction regarding the future of teen services.
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YALSA wants to collect stories to better communicate the amazing work that you do to support, educate, and entertain teens! Submit YOUR story.
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Voting for Teens Top Ten is open for one more week, so be sure to represent your recent faves!
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Mark your calendars for upcoming webinars on programming, nonfiction collections, and everyday advocacy.
Gratitude
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Three cheers for the Young Adult Literature Symposium Taskforce for finalizing the theme for Austin in 2014!
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Many thanks to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation for supporting another year of grantees with $1,000 to support Teen Read Week programs and activities. And congrats to the winners!
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Thank you to supporters who donated over $400 last month. Generous donations like these make YALSA’s member grants, stipends, and scholarships possible.
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Thanks to Pam Spencer Holly for organizing a busy YALSA booth at the Virginia Library Association conference! Interested in making some YALSA magic happen in your own area? Check out the wiki for existing dates and more.
YALSA membership for August 2013 stood at 5,092, which is down 1.5% from that month last year.
