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

YALSA President Report August 2023

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Hi everyone!

I hope everyone had a relaxing Labor Day! Thank you to all of you who work for YALSA, our staff and volunteers. 

FIrst, I am happy to announce that we have a new Communications Specialist on staff, Camille Alcazar! Camille will be completing onboarding through the beginning of September. Currently the best way to reach YALSA Communications is via the email yalsaevents@ala.org

As many of you may know, we have been searching for an Executive Director this summer. Currently, our Interim Executive Director, LaMoya Burks has been with us since early 2022 and has made great strides to keep YALSA moving forward. It is my hope that we will soon be able to announce the new YALSA Executive Director for YALSA, so please keep watch on Connect and your YALSA eNews emails!

Two YALSA Board members are currently taking a leave of absence until October. While it’s usually a difficult time to work through when someone uses a short term leave, I am thankful that YALSA has a leave of absence policy in place so that our members can take the time they need to care for themselves or others. I look forward to our two members’ return and working with them again. Our short-term leave policy applies to all YALSA volunteers, so if this is something you need, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your Chairs, other Board members, or me if you need more information.

Our Board Development committee has started to prepare our 2025 Election Slate! We are 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 at 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 youare ready to put your name forward, please submit via the online nomination form.

A friendly reminder that Teen’s Top Ten Voting has opened and will remain open until October 15!  Use this link to share with your teens, so they can cast their vote: Teen’s Top Ten Voting Form Our committee is hard at work this year to continue to steer the Teen’s Top Ten program back on course. Work on this started earlier this year by the previous chair who stepped in at the end of the year, Stephanie Charlefour and the 2022-23 committee members Tamara DePasquale, Emily Harris, Rebecca Leonhard, and Lynn Jacobs.

Finally, our Symposium Registration is open!

While there is still a lot of work to do for the Symposium, I want to thank those so far who have done so much thus far on a not average timetable and with random hiccups along the way! First our Symposium Planning and Marketing Task Force members: Amy Ojserkis, Caroline Aversano, Heather Beverley, Asuncion Cora, Ginny Edwards, Meagan Looney, and Scot Smith. Our YALSA staff LaMoya Burks and Ninah Moore. And our YALSA President-Elect, Yvette Garcia. 

YALSA members: this St. Louis Symposium is going to be fantastic from what I can see so far–make sure you register today! When you’re registering, please pay close attention to the question regarding a focus group. Our Division Membership and Promotion committee is planning on a focus group to talk with members about YALSA membership recruitment and retainment, especially in regards to members of color. Also be sure to take note that we will be having an evening at the St. Louis Public Library! I am so thankful staff at SLPL are hosting us and providing a tour of their amazing central library!

Completed Activities

  • YALSA 2024 budget has been completed and submitted to ALA, including our endowment planned activities worksheet
  • Board strategic committees were established and provided possible projects. Next steps will be to finish naming committee chairs, and the committees to work to narrow their focus for the year
  • President-Elect, Yvette Garcia was trained on making YALSA appointments. And I am happy to report that she already has a jump start with appointing our book award and selected lists committees. Please see this YALSA blog post for more information and access our volunteer form here: https://www.ala.org/CFApps/volunteer/form.cfm

Ongoing Activities

  • Discussions continue with the board and the update of the operating agreement and how this will affect overhead costs. Many divisions are currently discussing options for the overhead costs provided by the Operating Agreement Task Force. It’s a difficult topic and the YALSA Board is considering everything carefully
  • Membership meetings are currently being planned for the year. While we try to hold a membership meeting annually at the ALA Annual Conference, we also want to be able to provide them virtually throughout the year. We are looking at some options now. YALSA is required in its bylaws to hold at least one Membership Meeting a year and the purpose of a membership meeting is to provide membership an update of the business of the division. 

YALSA President’s Report July 2023

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Hi everyone!

I am pulling this report together on the last day of July which means I have been YALSA President for one month! For these reports, I am going to do my best to report to you, the YALSA members, what I have been working on each month. I will do my best to include bigger picture items and highlight as much of the work we do in governance each month as I can, though I am sure that I will unintentionally miss something.

I also want to take the time to give thanks each month. Thank you to all our YALSA volunteers! And especially to our newly appointed Strategic Committee, Advisory Board, and Task Force chairs. I have met with a majority of them so far this month (and have more meetings scheduled for next month) and I am so excited to be working with each of them as they are bringing an enthusiasm to their work this year that I am so impressed by. I can’t wait to see what we accomplish together this year.

Special shout out to our 2022-23 and 2023-24 Teen’s Top Ten Committees. We had a rocky year last year for Teen’s Top Ten. We started to recover when a past TT10 chair, Stephanie Charlefour, stepped in this spring to work with the committee to make sure we had a Top 25 list out in May. Stephanie is currently working with incoming chair, Karen Scott, to make sure the transition goes smoothly so this year’s committee can hit the ground running.

Finally, a big thanks to the YALSA staff! To Letitia for reading my mind when it comes to the different volunteer appointments and replacements we have to take care of together. To LaMoya for continuously pushing YALSA forward and for making sure our budget planning stays on track. And finally, to Sandra Ramirez. Sandra’s last day as our Communications Specialist was Friday, 7/28. YALSA works with a temporary agency right now to fill this Communications Specialist position, so we do see some turnover in the position that occurs quickly. Sandra did great work for YALSA and was very easy to work with. Thankfully, she is pursuing another opportunity so we wish her all the best!

Completed

  • Worked with YALSA Staff, Letitia Smith, to fill the remaining spots on our Strategic Committees to the best of our abilities. We still have openings on the following committees:
  • Reviewed and updated all the YALSA Board Member onboarding documents
  • Provided Board Training to all Board members on July 17
  • Introduced all the Board Liaisons to their committees (these change every July as we start a new Board year)
  • Set the Board meeting and Executive Committee meetings for the 2023-24 year. This year we will be transitioning to monthly meetings for both. The schedule will be posted soon on the YALSA website.
  • Met with the following chairs to review goals/projects for their strategic committees (meetings scheduled through August with additional chairs):
    • Celeste Swanson, Division Membership & Promotion
    • Josie Andrews, Presidential Initiatives Implementation Task Force
    • Kirsten Caldwell, Social Media Marketing
    • Gail Tobin, Financial Advancement
    • Traci Glass, Organization and Bylaws
  • Participated in interviews for the YALSA Executive Director position with ALA staff, YALSA’s ALA Executive Board Liaison, our Past-Past President, Past President, and YALSA Staff
  • The YALSA Board did some work this month to catch up on items that were lost in the transition from the last Board year (7/1/2022-6/30/2023) to this current Board year (7/1/2023-6/30/2024):
    • Appointed Kate Denier as YALSA Secretary due to a resignation
    • Approved the Endowment Planned Activities for FY23 worksheet (delayed from last fall)
    • Selected a Board Fellow (we are hoping to contact all applicants soon with the results of our decision)

Ongoing

  • Working with the YALSA Staff and Executive Committee to finalize the FY24 budget
  • I sat in on a YALSA Symposium Planning and Marketing task force meeting earlier this month–I am so excited for YALSA members to see our final schedule! The Task Force is really putting a dynamic conference together. Registration will open in the next couple of weeks!
  • Our first YALSA Board meeting will be on Monday, August 21. The agenda is being put together this week and among other topics, I hope we will be able to review the assignments of YALSA Board Strategic committees as well as looking at membership communication ideas for the YALSA Board this year.

Stats to report:

Official YALSA membership numbers as of *April 2023*
Total YALSA membership – 3,247
Personal memberships – 3,040
Organizational memberships – 195
Corporate memberships – 12

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.

Get to Know the YALSA Board Members: 6 Questions with YALSA Board Financial Advancement Committee Chair, Gail Tobin, Ex-Officio

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This is a late response but very much welcomed.  Here is our last interview with members of the current YALSA Board.  Ever wanted to get to know the YALSA Board of Directors more? Here’s your chance!

Photo of Ex-Officio, Gail Tobin, Financial Advancement Committee Chair of the Board of Directors
Gail Tobin, Ex-officio FAC Chair

Name: Gail Tobin

Title & Library: Hanover Park Branch Manager, Schaumburg Township District Library

Role on the Board: Ex-Officio, Financial Advancement Committee Chair

Year on the Board: 1st year (although I was a past Board member back in 2009-2014)

What does YALSA mean to me?

GT: YALSA is where I started in ALA. The Division has always been on the front-line advocating for and supporting teens in libraries and those who work with them. I have met so many smart, talented people and learned a lot from them over the years.

What are your hopes for the future of teen services?

GT: I hope teen services will continue to be a core service for libraries across the nation, and libraries will be a safe space for teens to be themselves, learn, and have fun.

What is your favorite YALSA Committee or Committee that would love to be on again?

GT: I’ve been on so many process and award committees over the years that it’s hard to choose just one. I particularly liked the book committees – Great Graphic Novels, Morris, Edwards – because I got to read (and re-read) and discuss so many wonderful authors, and they made me read (and like!) some I would never have picked up on my own. And I got to work with and become friends with amazing people on those committees.

What’s your ultimate comfort food?

GT: My mom’s spaghetti with meat sauce. Every time I make it I can’t get enough. And cheese – any kind of cheese!

What TV show or Movie do you watch on repeat? Or a book that you love reading when you’re in between new books?

GT: I don’t have a single favorite, but there are a few I’ll watch on over and over if they come on, like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or Star Trek and ok, Chronicles of Riddick.

What would you do or where would you go if you won the lotto? 

GT: If I won the lottery I would pay off all my debt and visit every National Park.

Want to run for YALSA Board?  We’re looking for candidates for the 2024 ALA Election. If you will be at ALA Annual Conference in Chicago this summer, join us at YALSA 301 to learn more about YALSA Governance. Want to find out what the duties and responsibilities of the Director at Large are for the YALSA Board? Find them in the YALSA Handbook here.   If you’ve been thinking about it, why not fill out the nomination form today? Just click here.

Get to Know the YALSA Board Members: 6 Questions with YALSA Board President, Franklin Escobedo

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Ever wanted to get to know the YALSA Board of Directors more? Here’s your chance! We’ll be posting fun mini-interviews with each board member all month long so you can get to know them a little better.  As I interviewed myself I thought best to save mine to the end.

Photo of YALSA Board President, Franklin Escobedo, selfie with Haku dragon neck pillow onboard an airplane.
Franklin Escobedo, YALSA President 2022-2023

Name: Franklin Escobedo

Title & Library: Library Director, currently job hunting

Role on the Board: President

Year on the Board: 2nd year in this role

  1. What does YALSA mean to me?

FE: YALSA has always been my professional family. We’ve grown together.  We’ve made friends, and we’ve lost friends.  Yet we all have the same passion for libraries and supporting teens that come into our libraries.  Even though my role has changed in my career, I still have the same passion for making sure that teens are treated with respect and made to feel welcome.  I’ve been around long enough to see the fruits of our labors.  The teens who came to my programs now bring their children to the library and have fond memories of their time spent there.  This wouldn’t have happened without YALSA creating standards and developing resources for libraries nationwide.  YALSA wouldn’t be YALSA without all of us.

2. What are your hopes for the future of teen services?

FE: My hope for teen services is that it will continue to be a priority for libraries across the country.  It remains a core service in every library and is given as much attention and respect as children and adult services.  We all know that our future library use is made or broken during our teenage years.   I have friends from my generation that had a bad experience and still won’t step foot or cast a vote for the library.  All because of a bad experience they had as a teen.

3. What is your favorite YALSA Committee or Committee that you would love to be on again?

FE:  I’ve learned so much from all the committees, taskforces, and juries I’ve been on.  My first committee is still my favorite Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults.  While it got sunsetted several years ago, I still feel it was one the best resources we produced each year.   It was a great way to see what teens were really reading solely based on the popularity of the title.  While I read books I hated, I knew the teens in my library loved them.  It was one of the most enjoyable committees I served on, and we all became great friends. 

4. What’s your ultimate comfort food?

FE: My go-to is Hawaiian Pizza, but it’s really the pineapple.  When I was growing up, we only had pineapple occasionally around the holidays, but it was part of the Hawaiian pizza.  Now I can find it pre-cut at the grocery store, so I tend to eat it all the time now.

5. What TV show or Movie do you watch on repeat? Or a book you love reading when you’re between new books?

FE: My go-to comfort TV show is 30 Rock, it still makes me laugh.   So many books I love, but J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is the one I read on repeat. 

6. What would you do or where would you go if you won the lotto?

FE: I would go to Puroland, Hello Kitty’s magical kingdom 1 ½ miles outside of Tokyo, Japan. 

Want to run for YALSA Board?  We’re looking for candidates for the 2024 ALA Election. If you will be attending the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago this summer, join us at YALSA 301 to learn more about YALSA Governance. Want to find out the duties and responsibilities of the YALSA President? Find them in the YALSA Handbook here.   If you’ve been thinking about it, why not fill out the nomination form today? Just click here.

Get to Know the YALSA Board Members: 4 Questions with YALSA Board Fellow, Morgan Brickey-Jones

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Ever wanted to get to know the YALSA Board of Directors more? Here’s your chance! We’ll be posting fun mini-interviews with each board member all month long so you can get to know them a little better

Photo of Board Fellow, Morgan Brickley-Jones with two thumbs up.
Morgan Brickley-Jones, Board Fellow

Name: Morgan Brickley-Jones

Title & Library:  Director of Community Engagement, UTA Libraries

Role on the Board: Board Fellow

Years on the Board: 1st year

Tell us a little about yourself. Who is this years Board Fellow?

MBJ: Hello, I am your YALSA 2022-23 Board Fellow, Morgan! I have been an on-and-off member of YALSA for roughly ten years, and the Board Fellow position was my first experience working with the actual YALSA Board. I am the Director of Community Engagement at the University of Texas at Arlington Libraries. 

How did you first get involved with YALSA?

MBJ: My first committee volunteering experience was with YALSA- in 2014, I volunteered for the Teens Top Ten Committee. This committee gave me valuable experience working with colleagues in a virtual, asynchronous environment. During that time was an active book reviewer and enamored with book selection committee work, so when my Teens Top Ten service had ended, I quickly applied to be on the Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers committee. This committee was foundational in my experience working with librarians from different types of libraries at ALA annual conference. I loved every minute of my two years on Quick Picks and really do remember my time on that committee fondly.

What made you decide to apply to be the Board Fellow?

MBJ: Over the past few years, I doubled down on my work volunteering with my state-level committees and let my YALSA and ALA members lapse. Recently, I was putting together my resume and dossier for promotion and started to wonder about what I could do to contribute to ALA and YALSA again. I contacted the now YALSA’s immediate past president, Kelly Czarnecki, and she gave me a list of opportunities. I was attracted to the Board Fellow position because it seemed to be what I needed then, lower stakes than a full board member but it is given the opportunity to look behind the curtain. The YALSA Board Fellow position has given me just that ability- I have been able to work with YALSA board members. I have seen board initiatives pass and other issues discussed among colleagues working to reach a consensus.

Why do you think the Board Fellow is an important part of learning about YALSA Governance?

MBJ: I think that the Board Fellow position is ideal for YALSA members at all different stages of your journey. If you have dedicated your volunteering to committees, the Board Fellow position will let you know if board work is your next step. It is also an excellent idea for YALSA members looking to get more involved with the organization’s governance. I better understand how the big picture of YALSA functions and just how vital volunteers are to the framework of YALSA and ALA.

If you have been thinking about YALSA Governance are not ready to make the three-year commitment.  The Board Fellow position is the first step in seeing what kind of work the board is doing.  Morgan mentioned that being the board fellow was a look behind the curtain, and many of the past board fellows have said similar in past blog posts.  All the YALSA Board meetings are open to members, the Board Fellow positions allows them to see the work that happens in between the meetings.  Some of the work done by the board is swift, but much of the work is a long slow march that can take a few years to complete. If you are interested in becoming the Board Fellow apply here.  If you have questions, feel free to contact Morgan or any of the YALSA Board Members for more information. 

Get to Know the YALSA Board Members: 6 Questions with YALSA Board Director at Large, Dr. Abigail Phillips

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Ever wanted to get to know the YALSA Board of Directors more? Here’s your chance! We’ll be posting fun mini-interviews with each board member all month long so you can get to know them a little better. 

Photo of Dr. Abigail Phillips, YALSA Director-at-Large
Dr. Abigail Phillips, Director-At-Large

Name: Dr. Abigail Phillips

Title & Library: Assistant Professor, School of Information Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Role on the Board: Director at Large

Year on the Board: 2nd year

What does YALSA mean to me?

AP: To me, YALSA means a compassionate and empathetic division that supports the needs of youth service librarians and library workers.

What are your hopes for the future of teen services?

AP: I would love learn more about the ways in which librarians and library workers can best support the emotional and mental health needs of teens. Teens are dealing with so much and deserve support adults in their lives.

What is your favorite YALSA Committee or Committee that you would love to be on again?

AP: I really enjoyed my time on the Frances Henne Research Grant committee. I love reading about research and learning more about the wide range of research out there focusing on teens and teen services.

What’s your ultimate comfort food?

AP: Grits, being from the South, and probably mac and cheese.

What TV show or Movie do you watch on repeat? Or a book you love reading when you’re between new books?

AP: Parks and Recreation for days! One of my all-time favorite books is “Furiously Happy” by Jenny Lawson.

What would you do or where would you go if you won the lotto? 

AP: I would travel the world, read as much as possible, and being responsible I guess, pay off student debt.

Want to run for YALSA Board?  We’re looking for candidates for the 2024 ALA Election. If you will be at ALA Annual Conference in Chicago this summer, join us at YALSA 301 to learn more about YALSA Governance. Want to find out what the duties and responsibilities of the Director at Large are for the YALSA Board? Find them in the YALSA Handbook here.   If you’ve been thinking about it, why not fill out the nomination form today? Just click here.

Get to Know the YALSA Board Members: 6 Questions with YALSA Board Division Councilor, Liz Nebeker

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Ever wanted to get to know the YALSA Board of Directors more? Here’s your chance! We’ll be posting fun mini-interviews with each board member all month long so you can get to know them a little better. 

Photo: Selfie of Liz Nebeker with puppy on shoulder.
Liz Nebeker, YALSA Division Councilor

Name: Liz Nebeker

Title & Library: Instruction Librarian, Lone Star College- CyFair

Role on the Board: Councilor

Year on the Board: 2nd Year

 What does YALSA mean to me?

LN: To me, YALSA is a source of encouragement, advocacy, and learning. Being able to connect with fellow library workers focused on serving young adults, especially now, inspires me.

What are your hopes for the future of teen services?

LN: I hope that teen services becomes less of a target for censorship. I hope people see the potential of encouraging our teens to be productive, thoughtful, and educated will lead to a better future.

 What is your favorite YALSA Committee or Committee that you would love to be on again?

LN:  My favorite YALSA Committee that I would LOVE to be on again is Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers. This committee encourages all readers.

What’s your ultimate comfort food?

LN: My ultimate comfort food is macaroni & cheese with hotdogs. It was something I was able to make myself after-school. It reminds me of when I would spend my afternoons reading.

What TV show or Movie do you watch on repeat? Or a book that you love reading when you’re in between new books?

LN: A movie that I watch anytime it is on is the original Jurrasic Park. I love the book as well.

 What would you do or where would you go if you won the lotto? 

LN: My bucket list trip is London. I am planning to go the summer of 2025.

Want to run for YALSA Board?  We’re looking for candidates for the 2024 ALA Election. If you will be at ALA Annual Conference in Chicago this summer, join us at YALSA 301 to learn more about YALSA Governance. Want to find out what the duties and responsibilities of the Division Councilor are for the YALSA Board? Find them in the YALSA Handbook here.   If you’ve been thinking about it, why not fill out the nomination form today? Just click here.