October is a great month to spend as a YALSA member. Members celebrated Teen Read Weekâ„¢ by engaging teens in numerous programming events meant to encourage them to spend more recreational time reading for the fun of it. A new round of the WrestleMania Reading Challenge kicked off with teens signing up at participating libraries and pledging to read books and compete in bookmark competitions for a chance to attend WrestleMania in Atlanta next spring. Read More →

September was a month full tying up loose ends and kicking off new projects. The YALSA Executive Committee is preparing to meet for our annual fall meeting in Chicago on October 22-23. October will be just as busy as we all gear up for Teen Read Weekâ„¢ and the kick off of the Wrestlemania Reading Challenge …Thank you’s this month go to Pam Spencer Holley for participating in an interview with Lini S. Kadaba of the Philadelphia Inquirer for an article on Ellen Hopkins and why teens love her books. mk Eagle gets a huge thanks for leading her bloggers through another successful round of 30 days of back to school blogging. Maria Gentle, who has volunteered to translate YALSA’s updated Competencies for Librarians Serving Youth into Spanish for YALSA also deserves a big YALSA thank you.’  Read More →

August proved to be a busy month that included attending my first ever BCALA conference in Birmingham, AL, conference calls with chairs of various YALSA committees, and calls from the press for various interviews.

‘ Thank You’s

  • Thanks to the hard work of the 2010 Nominating Committee led by John Sexton, we are one step closer to having a full slate for the 2011 YALSA elections. Watch for more information on the candidates on the blog, and make plans now to attend the Coffee with the Candidates Forum at the Midwinter in San Diego, CA.
  • Thank you also to the YALSA office staff led by Executive Director Beth Yoke who worked with ALA’s Development Office to write and submit a grant to Dollar General.’  YALSA was awarded $70,000 to fund summer reading and Teen Read Weekâ„¢ efforts in 2011, including mini grants to libraries, creating Spanish language TRW materials and distributing sets of the 2011 Teens’ Top Ten winners.
  • Thanks to all the members and groups who have donated items to YALSA’s Not so Silent Auction so far.’  Amy Alessio is compiling a dessert cookbook to auction off at the event.’  She still needs recipes from members, and it’s not too late for you to participate.’  The deadline to turn in your recipe is Sept. 30th.’  There’s an easy to use template at http://yalsa.ala.org/midwinter11/cookbooktemplate.doc’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  Read More →

YALSA President’s Report for July 2010

Since I’ve taken the lead post, I have been off and running to keep up with demands of the job. I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it and I am grateful to the wonderful YALSA staff for helping me along the way. I am also grateful for the chance to get to know our great members who are also a hard working group of talented volunteers! I would like to extend my thanks to all of the members who worked so hard make the conference successful.’  Thanks also to the WrestleMania Reading Challenge Taskforce for updating the toolkit. A big thank you also to the Financial Advancement Committee for launching the silent auction effort and finally, thank you to President-Elect Sarah Flowers who is also the editor of YALS, because of her leadership, the journal has won its 3rd Apex Award in a row. Read More →

Thank you everyone for taking the time to submit a Process Committee volunteer application to serve on a YALSA Process Committee, Taskforce or Jury. I am happy to announce that all Process Committee appointments have been finalized and the Process Committee appointment process is finished for this year. I would like to thank all of the wonderful and talented YALSA members who took the time to fill out volunteer forms and their willingness to give their time to these committees.

If you would still like get more involved, please don’t forget that YALSA hosts numerous Discussion and Interest Groups that any member may join. Discussion and Interest Groups are a great way to get involved in the organization and gain group work experience. You can find a list of YALSA interest groups here.

Kinberly A. Patton

Thank you everyone for submitting your volunteer applications for consideration of appointment to a YALSA Process Committee. The appointment process is nearly completed and all of the open slots will soon be filled. Once we are finished, all volunteers who submitter a form, but were not chosen will be notified by the Appointments Committee. Please let me know if you have any questions. You can reach me at kimpatton@kclibrary.org

Don’t forget that deadline to submit your volunteer form if you want be considered for an appointment on a YALSA Process Committee is quickly approaching. Volunteer forms are due Friday, March 12, 2010.

If you are new to YALSA, a Process Committee, Jury, or Advisory Board can be an excellent way to get to get your feet wet and begin to learn how member groups work. There are nearly 30 different Process Committees, Juries & Advisory Boards ranging from Legislation to Teen Read Week so it is easy to find a group that fits your interests. A complete list of YALSA Process Committees, Juries, & Advisory Boards is available on the YALSA website. In order to serve on one of these groups, you need to be appointed by me, the President-Elect. Read More →

It is time to begin making appointments for YALSA Process Committees, Juries, & Advisory Boards that will begin work July 1, 2010. If you are interested in serving on a YALSA Process Committee, Jury or Advisory Board here is some information you may find helpful:

If you are new to YALSA, a Process Committee, Jury, or Advisory Board can be an excellent way to get to get your feet wet and begin to learn how member groups work. There are nearly 30 different Process Committees, Juries & Advisory Boards ranging from Legislation to Teen Read Week so it is easy to find a group that fits your interests. A complete list of YALSA Process Committees, Juries, & Advisory Boards is available on the YALSA website. In order to serve on one of these groups, you need to be appointed by me, the President-Elect.

Read More →

It is time to begin making Process Committees, Juries, Taskforces & Advisory Boards. If you are interested in serving on a YALSA Process committee here is some information you may find helpful…

If you are new to committee work, a Process Committee, Jury, Taskforces & Advisory Board can be an excellent way to get to get your feet wet and begin to learn how committees work. There are nearly 30 different Process Committees, Juries, Taskforces & Advisory Boards ranging from Legislation to Teen Read Week and everything in between so it is easy to find a committee that fits your interests. A complete list of YALSA Process Committees, Juries, Taskforces & Advisory Boards is available.

It is always a good idea for everyone to do some background work and find out how each committee works by checking the YALSA page for a description of each committee’s function. Volunteer forms for Process Committees, Juries, Taskforces & Advisory Boards are available on the YALSA web site and are due Feb. 28, 2010 for this round of appointments.

Incoming chairs will be appointed by February 19, 2010 and full committees will be appointed by May 7, 2010.

Please contact me if you have any questions or need more information kimpatton@kclibrary.org
Kimberly Patton
YALSA President Elect

Greetings!
I am happy to announce that all Selection Committee appointments have been finalized the Selection Committee appointment process is finished for this year. I would like to thank all of the wonderful and talented YALSA members who took the time to fill out volunteer forms and their willingness to give their time to these committees. We had many, many volunteers and unfortunately not enough spots to place everyone in.

Please remember that Process Committee appointments will begin after Mid Winter. If you are interested in volunteering for a Process Committee the volunteer form is available on the YALSA home page. Information and updates on the appointment process will be updated on the YALSA Blog, YAttitudes and YALS.
Kimberly Patton,
YALSA President-Elect