Colleagues-
I‘d like to begin by providing an update on the YALSA Executive director search. The search committee met yesterday and selected three candidates to interview in Chicago July 9th and 10th. If the process continues as scheduled, we should have a new Executive director in place by the end of August.
As you may know, the YALSA Board works year round. Since Midwinter we have been creating, discussing & voting on Board documents virtually. We are in the process of preparing for Annual so much of May has been devoted to planning agendas, writing Board documents, and coordinating with other ALA divisions and offices. Check out the documents we’ve approved since midwinter 2018 or will be discussing in New Orleans here.
YALSA has published a number of important documents and reports since Midwinter designed to support library staff in their work with teens including:
- Position Paper on Continuous Teen Services
- Statement on Continuous Learning
- Final Report: Transforming Library Services for & with Teens through Continuing Education
The Advancing Diversity Taskforce completed its work in spring 2018 and the Chair, Nicole A. Cooke, submitted their report for the Board’s consideration. Th Board has prioritized their recommendations and is working on a implementation strategy. A number of Board documents related to specific recommendations from the Taskforce are being prepared for discussion at ALA Annual 2018.
And finally, YALSA, in partnership with the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA), received $497,635 to implement a new project, Transforming Teen Services: A Train the Trainer Approach from July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2021. The project, funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, will bring together state library agency (SLA) youth consultants and frontline library staff from each U.S. state/territory for a robust training program that aims to help them build connected learning (CL), computer science (CS), cultural competence and other skills so they can better serve and meet the learning needs of youth in their communities. This is an exciting opportunity for YALSA!
Stats and Data
- Funds raised in Mar. = $490
- Member stats for Mar. = 4,780, down 1.2% over this time last year
- Funds raised in Apr.. = still waiting on ALA report
- Member stats for Apr. = 4,776 (down 0.8% over last year)
Don’t Forget!
- ALA Annual is less than 3 weeks away. Make sure to check out the YALSA wiki to stay up-to-date on YALSA happenings in New Orleans!
- The YALSA Board approved a new version of YALSA’s Competencies. Make sure to check out the YALSAblog to learn more about these competencies. Find out about the upcoming free webinar competencies series here.
- The Public Library & School Library Collaboration Toolkit, the result of a three-year collaborative effort with members of AASL, ALSC and YALSA, provides information, research, and examples to will help facilitate and incorporate collaborative initiatives. Make sure to check it out!
- The 2018 YALSA YA Services Symposium will take place in Salt Lake City, UT, November 2-4, 2018, at the Sheraton Salt Lake City Hotel with a theme of: Zeroing In: Focusing on Teen Needs. Registration is open now and the preliminary program is online.
- Check out the The Hub for the the latest on YA resources!
- Check out the Current Projects page to stay updated on what’s going on!
Thank you!
- To Dawn Abron for working with YALSA staff to identify learning outcomes for teen services and creating this handy tool, Teens First: Basic Learning Outcomes
- To the fabulous Clara Bohrer who served as YALSA’s Fiscal Officer this year. We wish you the best and thank you deeply for increasing our financial literacy!
- To the amazing Jessica Snow who served on the YALSA Board. We wish you the best with your new career endeavors!
- To the members of the Advancing Diversity Taskforce, Nicole A. Cooke, Amanda Barnhart, Shauntee Burns-Simpson, Veronica Rey, Alice Son, Valerie Tagoe, and Julie Winkelstein. Your important work is framing board discussions and decision-making.
- To Denise Agosto who is stepping down as editor of JRLYA. Your leadership has helped move the journal forward.
- To the Teen Read Week and Teens’ Top Ten Committees for vetting grant applications and creating 2018 resources. You rock!
- To all our members for all that you do to support teens and teen library services in your communities.
Respectfully submitted,
Sandra Hughes-Hassell, YALSA President 2017-2018
Follow me on twitter @Bridge2Lit
