YALSA President Report November 2023

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Hi everyone!

I will keep this month’s President Report short and wish everyone a very happy holiday! 

Thank you to those of you who attended the 2023 YALSA Symposium in St. Louis! A big thank you to all the YALSA Volunteers and staff that made this year’s Symposium such a fantastic learning and networking experience. A thank you as well for all the publishers and authors that attended the event and to the St. Louis Public Library for hosting attendees and providing a tour of the Central Library. 

Though attendance was down this year at around 350 attendees, I know those that attended will agree with me when I say that I felt a great energy from those in attendance and learned so much. As attendance has been falling in recent years, the YALSA Board voted to create a Symposium Evaluation task force in 2022 and the task force was formed in 2023. The task force is charged with evaluating data and member surveys to create a report for the YALSA Board with recommendations for the future of the YALSA Symposium. They will look closely at such things like if we should return to having a bi-annual Symposium, if there should be a virtual component to the Symposium, if the Symposium should be rebranded and its content reconfigured, or if there is a different time of year to hold the Symposium. There are so many other ideas and the YALSA Board really looks forward to the task force’s report.

Ongoing Activities

  • Now that Symposium is over, we have to start looking to attend LibLearnX and to plan YALSA sessions and events at ALA Annual.
    • The YALSA Board is currently discussing what a future YALSA Presence at LibLearnX should look like, since the conference is still early on in its new format and we have yet to know how YALSA fits in 
    • The YALSA Board is also working with our Book Awards committees to address the Awards Ceremonies for the Alex, Morris, Nonfiction and Edwards awards due to the change in format of LibLearnX and the evaluation of our current YALSA Symposium evaluation Task force of the YALSA Symposium
    • The Board is also working with YALSA Staff to determine what events we will hold at the Annual conference in addition to the educational sessions. We hope to find a way to bring back our YALSA Social! 
  • The Presidential Initiatives Implementation Task Force is hitting the ground running under the leadership of the new chair, Clare. Here’s what’s in the works:
    • As President, I have been able to partner with Booklist to moderate a panel at the Annual 2023 conference and the YALSA Symposium regarding Teen Services staff dealing with book challenges and censorship
    • Clare and I have connected with Graphic Novels and Comics Roundtable and United Against Book Bans and will bring back ideas to the task force
    • One idea that is still in development is regarding how to aggregate resources for our YALSA members to access. We know there are so many valuable tools out there for dealing with challenges and censorship and we want to be able to share them with our members so they are easy to access in times of need. 
    • Another project in development is thinking about how we can mobilize our regions so that there can be people to turn to when library staff working with teens are facing challenges and censorship. We are exploring the idea of creating YALSA Interest groups for this. 
    • Finally at ALA annual 2024 we are also looking to put together a Presidential program session on the topic: Freedom to Read.

Respectfully submitted by Colleen Seisser, YALSA President

Support YALSA and the Virtual Silent Auction on Giving Tuesday!

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Giving Tuesday is just around the corner. This annual, global day of giving unites us around meaningful causes and encourages us to give back. Giving Tuesday is the perfect time to for YALSA supporters to celebrate our continued mission and to help raise important funds for the year ahead.

One way you can take advantage of the inspiration and spirit of Giving Tuesday is by participating in YALSA’s Virtual Silent Auction. Take a look at the Virtual Silent Auction website and find something that speaks to you! The auction opens on Black Friday, Nov. 24th at 12 pm Eastern and runs through Friday, December 1st at 9pm Eastern. All proceeds will go to the Friends of YALSA (FOY). FOY funds are used to support over $16,000 in member scholarships, grants, and stipends, including a Spectrum Scholarship and Emerging Leader.

Not interested in bidding on an item? You can still support a cause that matters to you – the work of YALSA! – by donating directly to the Friends of YALSA (FOY) through the “Donate” button on the Silent Auction site.

I know there are many organizations worthy of your support and I hope YALSA is among them! Your contribution will be reinvested to support others in the field and help ensure that the work YALSA does can continue.

Gail Tobin,

YALSA Financial Advancement Committee Chair

Committee Appointment Updates

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YALSA’s awards & blogging committees are filled. Thank you to all the volunteers who have accepted positions on all the various committees. Please send questions to yvette.yalsa@gmail.com.

New Opportunity – Scholarship Jury:  We are currently seeking 5-7 members to serve on the Regina Minudri Yound Adul Scholarship jury.  This scholarship is specifically for a Masters degree candidate in Library Science who intends to work professionally with young adults.

Please complete the volunteer form. You will need to click on “NEXT” at the bottom of the committee list, to get to the “Select Committees” section highlighted at the top to volunteer for the Minudri jury.

Future Opportunities: The next round of volunteer appointments will feature YALSA’s strategic committees, such as the Programming Committee. Our programming committee selects ALA annual sessions, works with ALA to suggest e-learning courses, and plans members’ webinars. 

YALSA President Report October 2023

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Hi everyone!

I will be keeping this report short and sweet since I am getting ready to take the 4.5 hour drive from the Chicago suburbs to St. Louis tomorrow for our 2023 YALSA Symposium! I cannot wait to see those of you attending the Symposium. I unfortunately have to cut my attendance short and will be leaving Saturday afternoon due to a death in my family. But I know the time that I will be there will be so great!

This year’s Symposium Planning & Marketing Task Force has done an incredible job of putting together a fantastic conference filled with so many learning and networking opportunities, as well as finding some awesome authors to attend as well! So much thanks goes out to the task force members: Amy Ojserkis (chair), Caroline Aversano, Heather Beverly, Asuncion Cora, Ginny Edwards, Meagan Looney, and Scot Smith.

A couple of other items to note:

Our Friends of YALSA Silent Auction is now accepting donations for the Silent Auction. If you have any unique teen services or YA Lit items that you would like to donate to the YALSA Silent Auction, please get in touch via our YALSA events email: yalsaevents@ala.org. Additionally, the Silent Auction will open November 24: You can start to bid on items on Friday, Nov. 24 at 12 pm Eastern. The Silent Auction will close on Friday, Dec. 1st at 9 pm Eastern.  You can find more information by following this link about donations: https://yalsa.ala.org/blog/2023/10/16/yalsas-silent-auction/ Then watch YALSA’s eNews and social media for the auction link when bidding opens.

We announced our Teen’s Top Ten List!! You can watch the video announcement using this link or see the full list here: 

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir. Razorbill

Five Survive by Holly Jackson. Electric Monkey

Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh. Feiwel & Friends

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys. Penguin

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace. Pig and Bear Publishing

Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes. Balzer + Bray

Gallant by VE Schwab. Greenwillow Books

Nothing More to Tell by Karen McManus. Delacorte Press

The Rumor Game by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra. Disney

Some Mistakes Were Made by Kristin Dwyer. HarperTeen

I am happy and sad to announce that YALSA Membership Manager, Letitia Smith, retired November 1. She is still going to be around during our transition as we onboard a new Executive Director for advice and historical information sharing. I know so many of you have had the pleasure to work with Letitia. I can say that I have valued every minute of working with her and she was a bright spot for me during all my years volunteering for YALSA. I could go on and on about Letitia, but I know she would hate that, haha!

Finally, look for an announcement by ALA the week of November 13 for the new Executive Director of YALSA! I cannot wait until you all meet our new staff leader!

Completed Activities

  • Much of the work this month has been working on replacing volunteers and board members, as well as work for anticipated YALSA staffing changes. I am happy to report that as of this report, we are now working with a full board of directors. We have filled our vacant positions and resolved any ongoing participation issues. 
  • Another major part of my time this month has been working with staff and volunteers in preparation for the YALSA Symposium. 

Ongoing Activities

  • President-Elect Yvette Garcia and I have connected with the GNCRT and will be exploring possible collaboration opportunities in November. 
  • The YALSA Board is currently in the midst of a discussion about YALSA’s participation in the LibLearnX conference. We are still trying to find our place in the conference and how we can make it work with the Symposium happening only a couple of months before. I have also reached out to other Division Presidents for their input as well and how their Divisions are working to have a presence at LibLearnX. We likely won’t have anything to put in place for the 2024 LibLearnX conference but starting discussions now will put us in a good place for 2025.
  • Also, in progress is a discussion about ALA Annual and the different YALSA activities that we want to make sure are in place in addition to our fabulous member educational sessions. This discussion includes evaluating awards ceremonies and how we can move to celebrate all of our Book Awards, as well as making sure we schedule a membership meeting, President’s program, and YALSA Social.

Respectfully submitted by Colleen Seisser, YALSA President

What are you playing this month?

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November is International Game Month! International Games Month (IGM) is an annual celebration of games, play, libraries and learning that any library in the world can join, and costs absolutely nothing to register for!

IGM has only the most flexible of entry requirements – you have to have some sort of game-related activity in or around your library during the month of November. That’s all! The games can be videogames on a library console, tabletop games, social games, party games, traditional folk games – whatever you think will work for your individual library and community.

Registration involves filling out a questionnaire that tells us a bit about your library and your plans for the event, and then gives you information about the donation options available to your library. You can also sign up for some international inter-library events that will give your community the chance to connect to other library communities all over the world.

We also have a promotional materials with posters, logos, and press materials to help you promote the event in your library. And there’s a blog at https://games.ala.org which publishes updates weekly on a range of topics to help inspire ideas, discussion, and of course learning around games and play in libraries.

International Games Month is a non-commercial, volunteer-run library initiative under the auspices of the American Library Association in partnership with the Australian Library and Information Association, Nordic Game Week, Finnish Game Week, Associazione Italiana Biblioteche, and the Public and Mobile Library Group of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals sponsored by a number of quality game publishers and distributors.

Respectfully submitted by Liz Nebeker, YALSA Councilor

YALSA’s Silent Auction

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YALSA’s Symposium in St. Louis, MO is fast approaching. Whether you are attending or not or just love auctions, you can take part in the virtual silent auction! We are putting a call out to YOU for silent auction items!! Signed books, local interest goodie baskets, themed baskets, etc. Please let us know if you are willing to donate to YALSA’s Silent Auction. If you do donate, we just ask that you take a picture of the donation and be willing to send it to the auction winner. Please contact YALSA at yalsaevents@ala.org with your donation details. All proceeds will go to the Friends of YALSA (FOY). FOY funds are used to support over $16,000 in member scholarships, grants, and stipends, including a Spectrum Scholarship and Emerging Leader. 

Respectfully submitted by Angelique Kopa, Financial Advancement Committee member

YALSA President Report September 2023

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Hi everyone!

Happy TeenTober! I hope all of you are enjoying YALSA’s nationwide celebration to celebrate teens, promote year-round teen services and the innovative ways teen services helps teens learn new skills, and fuel their passions in and outside the library. 

TeenTober Logo

First, a reminder that our Board Development committee is looking for candidates for next year’s slate for the following positions: President-Elect, YALSA Division Councilor, and two Board Directors at Large. Successful candidates will stand for election in the spring of 2024 and begin their term on July 1, 2024 during the ALA Annual Conference in San Diego, CA. For more information on the responsibilities of each role on the Board, please visit the Governance page which includes some handy links under the topic Get Involved in Governance. If you are ready to put your name forward, please submit via the online nomination form.

Symposium Registration is open! 

Highlights include: Jason Reynolds, MAE Award winner, speaking on Saturday, November 11th at the Awards luncheon reception (*tickets are an additional cost). TWO excellent Pre-Conferences “Supporting Teens to Fight For Their Right To Read” and “Level Up Your Graphic Game” (*not included with general registration, sign up for an extra fee). A wide variety of sessions focusing on trends and issues in teen services and literature, our popular galley grab and book blitz, and a free tour of the St. Louis public library! Not to mention the fabulous authors who will be there, including but not limited to:

Edward Underhill, Lynn Painter, Mason Deaver, Crystal Maldonado, Alexene Follmuth, Kasie West, Terry J. Benton-Walker, Ari Tison, Dale Walls, Federico Erebia, Jaime Jo Hoang, Deb JJ Lee, Sarah Myer, Thien Pham, Victoria Ying, Edward Underhill, Samantha Markum, Margaret Owen, and Kelly Andrew

Congratulations to J Hodnett and Valerie Tohom as they have been selected to receive the 2023 Young Adult Services Symposium library worker (J Hodnett) and student stipend (Valerie Tohom) from YALSA! 

Make sure to get your room at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis Arch by Wednesday, October 18 to get the YALSA room rate! Get your room here. 

Completed Activities

  • The YALSA Board determined our next membership meeting will be held to introduce our new YALSA Executive Director to our membership. An announcement is still forthcoming, so please continue to watch the YASLA eNews and the ALA website. There will also be an in person membership meeting this summer at the ALA Annual conference. 
  • I completed onboarding our 2023-2024 YALSA Board Fellow. An announcement of appointment will be in the upcoming YALSA eNews. I also started onboarding our 2023-24 YALSA Board Advocate who will also be announced via YALSA eNews soon.

Ongoing Activities

  • Working to fill a Director at Large vacancy as well as managing two short term leave absences from the Board
  • Completing tasks for YALSA 2023 Symposium as well as preparing for a panel presentation “How to Navigate Book Challenges in the Teen Services Space”. I presented this panel with colleagues at ALA Annual in partnership with Booklist, and I am very excited to bring it to Symposium. Please join me, Sheila Michaels, Shannon Vanderhyde, Rachel Colias, and Kathleen Breitenbach on the morning of Saturday 11/11, as we discuss working with challenges and censorship as library staff working with teens.
  • Discussions continued with the Board regarding the update of the operating agreement and how this will affect overhead costs. In September, I also met with other Division Presidents so we could share our questions and concerns with each other.

–Respectfully submitted by Colleen Seisser, YALSA President

Call for Articles! YALS FALL 23/WINTER 24 ISSUE

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Please seen below for the call for articles on the theme of Teen Mental Health for the Fall/Winter issue of the journal of the Young Adult Library Services Association, Young Adult Library Services (YALS).

This post has been updated to reflect the correct content due date of August 17

Teen librarians face many crises when working with their communities of teens, and currently, one of the most serious is teen mental health. Depression is on the rise, and so is suicide, especially among LGBTQ+ teens. The changes in family structure also impact teens. Many of them live in single parent households, where the parent may be forced to work more than one job, and teens may have to step into a parental role for their younger siblings, creating a situation fraught with potential conflicts. Teens may also have to work, to help support the family, or to get the spending money that no longer comes from their parent. The family unit is changing in both positive and negative ways, and they all impact teens.


The number of homeless or houseless teens is also on the rise, as are the dangers of living on the streets, and the predators that find their victims there. With no trusted adult to support them, teens are left to survive with only their teenaged brains and social mores, making them among the most isolated and vulnerable of those without a home. They are having to cope with situations that adult brains could deal with more competently, because the teen brain is still growing.


And isolation is also seen in teens who aren’t on the street. The family unit has weakened, and some parents are busy with their own lives, and don’t spend time at home or with their children. COVID is another of the causes of isolation. Teens were forced to stay home, away from their friends for months and years. And when they were able to resume a “normal” life, it soon became obvious that the old normal was gone, and a new normal had taken its place. Along with everyone else, teens had to learn its rules, and how to function in it.


Social media also contributes to the decline of teens’ mental health. Even some teens are calling for less screen time. The ubiquity of cellphones means that posts and messages reach “everyone” in a teen’s world, and texts sent in haste or in anger will last and continue to have power far beyond that of the spoken word. They don’t fade away and are forgotten. They last, frequently gaining power as they are shared and re-sent over and over again.


These aren’t the only challenges today’s teens face—and one is bullying, in person and online. For some teens, it’s impossible to escape. Because of social media, peer pressure has seldom been as widespread as it is now, and along with bullying that can escalate into violence, and all too often the victims decide to respond with violence, against others or against themselves. Racism, the problem we have faced for hundreds of years, is still a problem, and in some areas, it’s becoming more and more intense. Teen suicide rates are also increasing, especially among LGBTQ+ teens. They must deal with feelings, situations, and settings that straight teens don’t always encounter.

Psychologists tell us that every teen needs at least one trusted adult to support them—not necessarily a parent or family member—but a teacher, coach, boss/supervisor, therapist, an adult from a friend’s family, or a teen librarian. There is no doubt that teen librarians have been, are, and will be making a difference in the lives of teens who come to their library. But we need to look beyond the individual and examine what teen librarians can do on a larger scale, in their community, their region, and their country. Policies need to be changed or challenged. Societal mores need to be challenged too—especially ones that involve teens.


What is happening in your library? Your region or state? What have you done, or could you do to stem the rising tide? We librarians need support if we are going to help create a healthier environment for the teens we serve. And working together requires knowing the other person, exchanging ideas, sharing joy and tears. Helping to make a happier library, school, community, and country.


This issue of YALS focuses on a topic that all of us are aware of but haven’t always figured out a way to deal with it. And I haven’t touched on all the problems, situations, and politics included in the topic of teen mental health. I want to see your ideas, your solutions, your proposals for change. Tell me about your successes, but also tell me about your failures, and give others a chance to suggest some solutions you may not have considered. And because we are a book/material centered profession, I want to hear about the best old and new titles that have made a difference with kids, and why or how they helped create change. I want stories about individuals, and I want stories that involve groups, all kinds, all sizes of groups. I want you to tell me about your favorite materials to go for teens with some of the problems I’ve described above, and your favorite authors who created those materials. I don’t know how many people will respond to this call, but I’d really like a deluge. And to those of you who think your story is too small, or that you can’t tell it as well as others could, please take a chance and send me your ideas and experiences—just a summary is all I need—and it doesn’t need to be long, but you do need to catch my interest. Why does this situation hang around in your brain? Why did you first get involved? Why is it important to you? What have you done, or would like to do about it? I love hearing people’s stories—I hope you’ll send me yours.

Please note that this is a volunteer writing opportunity with no monetary compensation. YALSA has the right to first refusal.


If you have an article idea for this themed issue, please submit article proposals by August 17, 2023. If you know someone who has experience on this topic and would be interested in writing for YALS or have questions, please contact YALS’ editor, Joni Richards Bodart 

While the journal’s main focus is on teen literature and programming and services for teens, articles from those dealing with the issue of teen mental health in different professions are encouraged in order to include various perspectives of this topic.

respectively submitted by Joni Bodart, YALS editor

Apply to be the 2023-24 YALSA Board Advocate

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YALSA is currently seeking a Board Advocate for the 2023-24 term.  This position will be held by someone who is not yet a YALSA member, but advocates for teens in their role working for an institution, a non-profit, a for-profit venture, or as a volunteer, among other capacities. Current or former employment in a library is neither required nor is it a disqualification; however, the intent is to encourage a person with a perspective outside the library realm to join the Board. 

This position is an ex-officio position, which means it is a non-voting position, but is otherwise expected to participate in board work and projects, and attend board meetings. This ex-officio Board member will serve a 1-year term, with the potential to renew for a second 1-year term. No prior library experience or familiarity with libraries or YALSA is required for this position.

If you are interested in applying, or know of an excellent candidate for this position, please follow this link to complete the application/nomination form.

When you have completed the form, please be sure to email YALSA President-Elect, Colleen Seisser, to expedite the processing of the application.

Apply to be the 2023-24 YALSA Board Fellow

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YALSA is looking for a Board Fellow for the 2023-24 year. The YALSA Board Fellow position gives YALSA members an expanded opportunity to be involved in the leadership of the association. Each year one fellow will be selected from that year’s pool of applicants. The selected candidate will serve a one-year term on the YALSA Board as a non-voting member. While a non-voting member, the fellow is expected to participate fully in the year-round work of the Board including attending and participating in all meetings and discussions.

Benefits of Serving as a YALSA Board Fellow

Those who are selected to be a YALSA Board Fellow will have the opportunity to:

  • Enhance leadership, management, and administration skills
  • Gain in-depth knowledge of the association and how associations work
  • Experience what YALSA Board service entails and if a longer-term leadership position in YALSA is of interest
  • Network with association leaders
  • Give back to the association through service in a leadership position

Read more about the benefits of board service.

Click here to learn more about the Board Fellow positions from first-hand accounts from past Board Fellows.

If the Board Fellow position sounds like the match for you follow this link to complete the application form (disregard the due date listed). When you have completed the form, please be sure to email YALSA President-Elect, Colleen Seisser, to expedite the processing of your application.