YALSA is currently looking for volunteers for our Outstanding Books for the College Bound committee. Here’s some more information about the committee:
Charge
To support lifelong learning by preparing a revised and updated edition of the annotated Outstanding Books for the College Bound booklist to guide students of all ages planning to continue their education beyond high school. The booklist is updated every five years.
Purpose
To provide reading recommendations to students of all ages who plan to continue their education beyond high school.
Audience
The lists are primarily intended for students in grades 9-12 who wish to enrich and strengthen their knowledge of various subject areas in both classic and contemporary literature.
The lists can be used both by students wishing to round out their reading before entering college and by those taking college entrance examinations such as the ACT and SAT.
The lists can also be used by young adults and adults who are lifelong learners wishing to increase or update their knowledge of literature in areas covered by the lists.
Committee Members
The committee will consist of 15 members who are appointed by the YALSA President-Elect for a one year term beginning May 1 through April 30 the following year
The committee size is 15 members, and an administrative assistant, if requested. Up to five members from ACRL may be appointed.
Selection Criteria
- Standard selection criteria consonant with the ALA Library Bill of Rights shall be applied.
- Although copyright is not a consideration, all titles should be widely available.
- Each category may have a special set of criteria.
- Books can be in print or out of print, in hardcover or paperback.
- Books that have appeared on earlier Outstanding Books lists or are available in revised editions are eligible.
Categories
The committee may select up to five (5) categories. The traditional categories for Outstanding Books are: The Arts, Biography, Fiction, and Nonfiction. Poetry has sometimes been a separate category, sometimes not. A Now/Current category was used for a time. Plays have been a subcategory of The Arts. There may be some variance in selected categories depending on the trends in society and in publishing. There may be subcategories, as well.
If you are interested in volunteering, you can access our YALSA Volunteer form with this link: https://www.ala.org/CFApps/volunteer/form.cfm
As you fill out the nomination form, please refer to my post from last fall: How to Fill Out YALSA’s Volunteer Form. Please email me (President-elect, Colleen Seisser) with your interest as that will expedite the review of your application and ensure I have eyes on it. You must be a current YALSA member and you must not already have three ALA volunteer commitments.
Respectfully submitted by YALSA President-Elect, Colleen Seisser
