What is the YALSA Board? What do they do? Who is on the YALSA Board? These could be questions you may have and if they are you’ve come to the right place. Each month, two YALSA Board of Directors are interviewed and their responses are shared here in order to help members get to know more about the Board members, the Board itself and things the Board is working on.
YALSA’s board of directors has the principal responsibility for fulfillment of YALSA’s mission and the legal accountability for its operations. The board has specific fiduciary duties of care, loyalty, and obedience to the law. As a group they are in charge of:
- establishing a clear organizational mission
- forming the strategic plan to accomplish the mission
- overseeing and evaluating the plan’s success
- hiring a competent executive director
- providing adequate supervision and support to the executive director
This month meet Todd Krueger,Collection Development at Baltimore County Public Library and YALSA Division Counsilor.
What drew you to the Board?
I was drawn to the board by invitation after having served on a number of YALSA selection list and award committees. I had always been interested in the governance of the organization. Having served on the board of Capitol Choices (an organization promoting children’s and teen literature in the DC/Baltimore/NoVa region), this seemed like a good way to continue to promote teen services on a larger level.
What do you do on the Board?
I serve as the Division Councilor for YALSA, which is the conduit to ALA Council. As a voting member of ALA’s legislative body, I request input from my fellow board members whenever a vote comes before Council. I keep in mind the needs of librarians serving teens and youth in general, and most importantly, how any decision made by the ALA Council will affect teens using libraries. I work in tandem with the AASL and ALSC Councilors (the Youth Council Caucus) to ensure that resolutions and discussions brought before ALA Council are considered through the lens of our children and teen users of school and public libraries.
What is the Board doing for its members?
The Organizational Plan was recently adopted to focus YALSA staff and board’s efforts in three areas: Leading the Transformation of Teen Services; Advocacy for Teens; and Funder and Partner Development. I have been lucky to participate on the Funder and Partner Development committee, identifying grants, potential partnerships, and funding possibilities all the while keeping in mind the capacity required by our YALSA Staff and the volunteer time and efforts that those of us serving on the board can realistically provide. Making sure that connecting with partners will be fruitful and match the mission of the organization, and ensuring that grant and funding opportunities are worthwhile.
Do you have a teen book you may be reading or a recent program you may have done with and for teens?
As a proponent of the mirrors and windows school of readers’ advisory, I recently read a debut Australian teen novel, Lucy and Linh by Alice Pung. Lucy, an Asian-Australian, is an unforgettable character who defies ethnic, class and socioeconomic constriction to grow and thrive. I highly recommend it to readers looking to immerse themselves into a culture that is both familiar and unique. Lucy’s voice is exceptional and I look forward to what Alice Pung’s future writings.
