I’m very proud of all the work that the 2014-2015 YALSA Board has accomplished, and wanted to share with you some of the highlights of our work from Annual last month.
- The board approved the proposed Professional Values document, which outlines nine core values that define professionalism for those who work for and with teens through libraries
- The board discussed Member Recruitment and directed the Standing Board committee on Member Recruitment & Engagement to explore the issue further and bring recommendations back to the board
- The board discussed ways that YALSA might better support members in their Collection Development and content curation efforts and determined a first step would be to compile resources on YALSA’s wiki
- The board passed a policy designed to encourage a broader segment of the membership to participate in Selection Committees . Beginning Feb. 1, 2016 any individual who has served on any YALSA award committee will need to wait two years before they’re eligible to serve on another YALSA award committee
- The board voted to establish an Award & Selection Committees Oversight Committee to help ensure that these committees have the support they need to run smoothly
- The board decided to put a proposal to the membership to vote on tying YALSA Dues to the Consumer Price Index, which will appear on the 2016 ballot
- The board got an update on what is being done to align resources and activities with the Futures Report
- The board approved a petition to establish a Teen Mental Health Interest Group.
To learn more, check out the Board agenda and documents as well as the meeting minutes.
At the conclusion of the board meeting, I turned over the reins to Candice Mack, who will be the awesome 2015 – 2016 YALSA President.
The Board’s next meeting will be at the 2016 ALA Midwinter Meeting, Jan. 8 – 12. We’re looking forward to seeing YALSA members in Boston! And remember, YALSA’s YA Services Symposium is coming up in Portland, Oregon, November 6 – 8.
Thanks for all that you do to make YALSA an amazing association and I enjoyed working with you all this past year!