Just ten days left to the deadline for volunteering for a YALSA process committee, jury, advisory board, or task force! Don’t forget to take a few minutes to read the extensive list of committees that you can apply for, and then fill out the volunteer form by January 31.’ Remember, these are almost all 100% virtual–conference attendance not required. But they are all extremely important in terms of accomplishing all the work that YALSA does over the course of the year. Committee appointments will be made in February and March, and terms will begin July 1. You need to fill out a new form each year, so don’t put it off–do it now.
I know, I know: 2011 has barely begun. But it’s already time to start thinking about what committees you want to be on for YALSA in 2011-12. Soon, I will be making appointments for process committees, juries, and advisory boards that will begin work on July 1, 2011.
Process committees, juries & advisory boards (except for Organization & Bylaws and Strategic Planning) are now 100% virtual groups. In other words, you can be a fully active member of any of these groups without being required to travel to conferences. It does mean that you need to be prepared to do work on your own and to participate virtually, through ALA Connect and other online forums.
I am pleased to announce that all selection committee appointments have been made for this year. (There will still be some award committee slots to fill after the election results in May.)
Many, many thanks to all the talented and dedicated YALSA members who submitted volunteer forms for selection committees. If you submitted a form, you should have heard from me: either an email inviting you to be on a committee, or an email telling you that there wasn’t a place for you this year.
If you got one of the latter emails, please don’t be discouraged, and please try again. There were just not enough slots for the number of people who applied. In the meantime, you can get valuable YALSA experience by volunteering to be on a YALSA process committee, task force, or jury. I will be making those appointments in the spring.
Also, don’t forget that if you are interested in an award committee, some of those include elected members. You can self-nominate or ask a colleague to nominate you by filling out the candidacy information form.
Time to nominate “up-and-coming individuals from around the world who are innovative, creative, and making a difference” for Library Journal‘s 10th annual list of Movers & Shakers. There are lots of YALSA folks already on this list, but I know that there are even more out there who are doing wonderful things in libraries, with and for teens, and I’d love to see even more of them recognized. Deadline for nominations is November 1, and the chosen group will be highlighted in the March 15 edition of LJ, and honored at a special luncheon at ALA Annual in New Orleans.
So please take a moment to think about who you can nominate.
Sarah (pioneer class of 2002)
Just ten days left to submit your volunteer form if you are interested in being on one of YALSA’s 2011 selection committees. This is your chance to help select the best fiction, movies, audiobooks, graphic novels, and more for teens. Be sure to read the entire list of committees, and find one that fits your interest and expertise. Terms vary, depending on the committee, so be sure you check that as well, and consider your time commitments. Committee members will be appointed during October and will start work immediately after Midwinter 2011. You will need to attend both Annual and Midwinter conferences during your term on the committee. ‘ Use the comments section of the volunteer form to tell me why you should be on the committee!
I know, you’ve been putting it off, thinking you had plenty of time, but now time is running out. You only have to the end of the month (Sept. 30) to submit your Selection Committee Volunteer Form if you want to be on a selection committee for 2011-12.
And this year, you have the chance to be on a new task force, the one that will be starting up YALSA’s new Readers’ Choice List. This is a list of books that members will get to vote on, and we need some motivated, tech-savvy, organized types to get the list off to a great start, by coming up with categories; receiving, organizing, and vetting the nominations; and conducting the online vote next November.
Also, don’t forget about putting your name in to be on an ALA Committee. There are some fascinating opportunities in ALA committees, like Accreditation, Website Advisory, Public & Cultural Programs Advisory, Literacy, and many more. The ALA Committee volunteer form is open until November 5.
Two separate rounds of committee appointments are going on right now. I want to know why YOU should be appointed to a committee, and for that, you need to submit a volunteer form.
Anyone who wants to serve on a 2012 YALSA selection committee (starting work Feb. 1, 2011) needs to fill out YALSA’s volunteer form by Sept. 30—but please don’t wait until the last minute! Be sure to read the policies and procedures of the committee you are interested in before you apply. Selection committees are great fun, but they are also a lot of work, so think carefully about which one is the best fit for you. Check out http://tinyurl.com/YALSAgetinvolved for more information.
And don’t forget about the 2011 -2012 ALA committees that begin work on July 1, 2011. These require the ALA volunteer form to be submitted by Nov. 5th. ALA committees are a great way to meet people from other divisions and expand your horizons.
Please remember that YALSA selection committee members are still required to attend all conferences during their appointment. Here’s a list of upcoming conferences and dates: http://www.ala.org/ala/conferencesevents/upcoming/index.cfm.
Now that we’re done with ALA Annual (well, almost done—there are still those post-conference reports that committees need to send in), it’s time to start thinking about the upcoming year, which is my year as President-Elect. One of the exciting parts of being President-Elect is that I get to appoint people to YALSA’s committees. This summer and fall, I will be appointing people to next year’s selection committees. These are the committees that select titles for the YALSA lists such as Best Fiction, Quick Picks, Popular Paperbacks, Amazing Audiobooks, Fabulous Films, etc.
In the spring, I’ll make appointments for the process committees. These are the committees that help YALSA run smoothly day-by-day, week-by-week, and month-by-month and include Legislation, Research, Intellectual Freedom, Teen Tech Week, Teen Read Week, Web Advisory, and more.’ Award committee appointments will come after next spring’s election results.