YALSA is currently looking for volunteers for the Presidential Initiatives Implementation Task Force.

I am happy to announce that my President year them will center on the freedom to read.

I need YALSA member volunteers who are passionate about protecting the freedom to read and the right to intellectual freedom to volunteer for my Presidential Initiatives Implementation Task Force.

Together we will work on the following:

  • Taking the freedom to read theme and develop a theme slogan for the presidential year
  • Planning a year of projects and outcomes aligned with the freedom to read theme
  • Setting goals and activities for the year centered on the freedom to read theme
  • Collaborating with other ALA entities and other organizations or groups to bring resources to members centered on this freedom to read theme
  • Working within YALSA members and leaders to create resources for YALSA members by YALSA members centered on the freedom to read theme
  • Plan the 2024 Annual Conference President Program

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

Get ready to vote in this year’s YALSA election! To help you make informed decisions, we’re sharing interviews with each of the 2023 YALSA Governance candidates. Voting will take place from March 13 through April 5, 2022.

Serving three-year terms, YALSA Board members are responsible for jointly determining YALSA’s current and future programs, policies, and serving as liaisons to YALSA’s committees, juries, taskforces and advisory boards. Members work year-round, and attend in-person meetings at ALA’s LibLearnX and Annual Conferences. A full description of Board duties and responsibilities can be found here. You can learn more about ALA elections here.

Photograph of Kim Dare, Candidate for YALSA Director at Large in the 2023 YALSA Election.
Kim Dare, Candidate for YALSA Director at Large

Name and current position:  Kim Dare, Teacher-Librarian, Herndon High School, Herndon, VA

What best qualifies you for being on the Board of Directors?

I have been a member of YALSA throughout my library career, and have served in various capacities, including book award committees, selection committees, and process committees. I had just begun chairing the YALSA Book Awards Oversight Committee when the pandemic shut things down. I worked closely with the Board that year to support award committee chairs in their new world of virtual meetings and to help plan YALSA’s part in the annual Youth Media Awards. I am excited to support YALSA members—and the teens we all serve—in this new capacity.

How do you envision furthering YALSA’s mission if elected to this position?

I love that YALSA’s mission statement is all about empowerment—empowering all in our profession to provide equitable, diverse, and inclusive teen services. There are challenges to that empowerment these days, as various groups seek to limit the work we do to support teen learning and enrichment and to foster healthy communities. As a high school librarian, I work closely with teens on a daily basis, and the library is a safe haven for so many of them. I am passionate about ensuring that every teen can see themselves—and discover more about themselves—in libraries, and will work to implement practical support for librarians in all parts of the country who are facing roadblocks to YALSA’s mission.

What would be the most exciting aspect of this position? The most challenging?

I am most excited about the opportunity to work collaboratively with a group of professionals who are committed to providing practical support for librarians as they meet their teens’ needs. I have learned so much from each of my past YALSA appointments and look forward to gaining a deeper understanding of the issues our profession faces, and ways we can continue to thrive.

I anticipate that one of the most challenging aspects will be to encourage more of our members to take the next step in their membership journey. I think that the pandemic left us all with such a sense of fatigue, and I have seen a decline in volunteerism in other organizations to which I belong. We can do so much together and need to figure out a more effective way to bring members in from the sidelines of the organization to the committees, juries, task forces, and advisory boards that will further YALSA’s mission of equitable, diverse, and inclusive teen services. 

Please share a recent example(s) where you made a shift to better focus on the current needs of teens in the wake of the pandemic.

Our high school library has tried to meet students where they are over these past several years. While students were learning remotely, we offered curbside book checkouts and drove books to students’ homes if they couldn’t make it to school. We offered a virtual student book club and (since snacks were always a popular part of the book club), delivered a brown bag of snacks on book club days. The return to in-person learning has been wonderful in a lot of ways, but we are all changed, and the ways that we teach and interact with students have changed, too. Recently, we implemented a Student Library Advisory Board, which meets monthly. The student members reflect our very diverse school, and we have been so appreciative of their suggestions for little things we can put in place to increase accessibility and use.

What is the most pressing issue facing YALSA today?

Membership, and member involvement, are our most pressing issues right now. It is essential that librarians who serve youth are able to see YALSA’s relevance and value. YALSA can be a strong advocate for librarians who are committed to teen services, but we are only as strong as our members and our member involvement. There are so many exciting ways to get involved—committees, juries, task forces, advisory boards—and members have the option of participating in many of these opportunities virtually rather than in person. I have made friends from all over the country through my YALSA work and am a better librarian for it.

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

YALSA is currently looking for volunteers for our Strategic Committees. The purpose of a strategic committee is to help carry out the business of the association by handling matters such as membership recruitment, fundraising, and much more.  If you have not served on a committee before and would like to help YALSA carry out the work of the association, strategic committees are where you can get your start. All Strategic Committees are 100% virtual. 

We are looking for volunteers for the following Strategic Committees:

  • Board Development Committee
    • To develop in conjunction with the board activities and materials for: board orientation, on-going board training, and annual board member self-assessments, board assessments, and board roles and responsibilities.
    • To pay attention to board composition and needs and assess board effectiveness. 
    • To identify and cultivate members for leadership positions, and to annually develop a slate of candidates for board positions. When building the slate, seek out the most qualified individuals and provide for broad representation, as outlined in YALSA’s Statement on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
    • To educate members about governance and service on the YALSA Board, including conducting necessary outreach via an array of avenues to ensure diverse representation.
    • To assist members in preparing for the election such as through a candidates’ forum or candidate interviews.
    • To review the process after each election and make recommendations for the next cycle.  
    • Membership: 5-7 virtual members, who have governance experience, including the chair.  At least one member will have served on a recent Board Development Committee, and no more than two may be current members of the Board.  The immediate past president will serve as chair during their term.
    • Term: July 1 through June 30.
  • Division & Membership Promotion
    • To work with staff to develop and pursue an aggressive and continuous campaign to recruit and retain members for YALSA
    • To promote the association to colleagues and to key partners as defined in the YALSA Implementation Plan
    • To promote and maintain good relations with existing members through activities such as the member booth at conferences, recognition of member anniversaries, and outreach to lapsed members.
    • Committee Size: 5-7 virtual members, including chair
    • Term:  July 1, through June 30
  • Financial Advancement
    • Provide oversight and continued enhancement of the Friends of YALSA program, including promotion, fundraising and donor recognition.  
    • Work with the Board year-round to create and implement virtual fundraising campaigns and fundraising efforts at conferences, aimed at both members and nonmembers, to support the $195,000  worth of scholarships and stipends YALSA gives out annually. 
    • Periodically review YALSA’s Fundraising Toolkit and make updates, as needed. 
    • Size – 1 chair, who sits ex-officio on the YALSA board, and 6 virtual members 
    • Term:  July 1, through June 30
  • Interdivisional Committee on School/Public Library Cooperation
    • Charge: This joint committee will identify, develop, promote and disseminate information on effective cooperative or collaborative projects that link schools and public libraries.
    • Function:
      • Maintain and update the resources that have been compiled on the ALSC website
      • Develop training workshops and/or programs on cooperative or collaborative projects and present them at conferences, institutes, online, and for other organizations serving youth
      • Detail findings in articles, books, blogs, etc. for division publications
      • Update the School/Public Library Collaboration Toolkit as needed
      • Term: 1 year
  • Organization & Bylaws
    • To periodically review the Bylaws and, when necessary, to recommend revision and amendment to improve them for the effective management of the Division, for the achievement of its stated objectives, and to keep them in harmony with ALA Constitution and Bylaws
    • To study and review committee functions, recommending changes in committee structure
    • To regularly review and when necessary recommend and draft revision of content for the YALSA Handbook
    • To make recommendations on other appropriate policy and process matters. 
    • Size: 1 chair, who sits ex-officio on the YALSA board, and 6 virtual members including at least two members from the previous year. 
    • Term:  July 1, through June 30
  • Outstanding Books for the College Bound
    • 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.
    • Size: 15 members, and an administrative assistant, if requested. Up to five members from ACRL may be appointed.
    • Term: May 1 through April 30 the following year
  • Social Media Marketing
    • Widely market YALSA selection lists (Amazing Audiobooks, Best Fiction for Young Adults, Great Graphic Novels, and Quick Picks) for the current and previous years and the Teens’ Top Ten list.
    • Share member recognition of volunteer efforts, and support for the YALSA Symposium and the Youth Media Awards events.
    • Members complete weekly assignments, for which volume can vary based on the output and needs of the Chairs of the YALSA selection lists. 
    • Term: 14-month term from November 1, 2023 to the following December 31, 2024. 
    • Size: 3-4 committee members and one chair.
  • Teens’ Top Ten
    • To facilitate the exchange of information and galleys of books published within the current and previous publishing years among the voting teen group members as well as the non-voting members
    • To annually prepare the “Teens’ Top 10” list for Teen Tober
    • To coordinate the public electronic vote. 
    • To assist with the collection and vetting of applications from libraries who wish to host an official reading group. 
    • Committee size: 7 virtual members including the Chair and at least two members from the previous year.  
    • Term: July 1 through June30

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

YALSA is currently looking for volunteers for our Advisory Boards. An Advisory Board serves in an advisory capacity to the Member Managers and Editors of the YALSA Blog, YALSA’s Young Adult Library Services eJournal (YALS), YALSA’s Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults (JRYLA), and the YALSA Hub Blog.

We are looking for volunteers for the following Advisory Boards:

  • Editorial Advisory Board (for YALS & the YALSAblog)
    • To serve as advisor to the co-chairs of the Advisory Board, the editor of YALS and the YALSAblog Member Manager, on the overall content of the journal and blog.
    • To take an active role in determining content for both publications and an annual editorial calendar that identifies timely topics as well as authors for articles and blog posts.
    • To create messages and content to promote the blog and the journal and to cross-populate each to highlight the content and focus of each publication.
    • To work to ensure that key YALSA guidelines, resources, initiatives, etc. are integrated into the blog and the journal.
    • To assist with the search process for a new editor or member manager, when appropriate.
    • Term:  July 1, through June 30.
    • Committee Size: 5 virtual members including at least two members from the previous year, plus the co-chairs
  • Hub Advisory Board
    • The Hub Advisory Board participates in the development and maintenance of the Hub and follows the guidelines for the site as set out by the YALSA Board of Directors.
    • The Advisory Board also serves in an advisory capacity to the Member Manager, who also acts as Chair, of the site and assists with the collection of content for the site, generates ideas for content, works on getting teen and library staff input and feedback, facilitates marketing and PR as needed, and writes for the site as needed.
    • Size: 7 virtual members including Member Manager, who is the chair, and two members from the previous year.
    • Term: July 1, through June 30
  • Research Journal Advisory Board & Research Committee
    • For 2023-24 we will combine the Research Journal Advisory Board and the Research committee to see how the work goes.
    • Oversee the peer reviewing process as outlined in the Refereeing Process Guidelines as approved by the YALSA Board of Directors.
    • Serves in an advisory capacity to the Member Editor of the journal by assisting with the solicitation of contributors and articles as well as generating ideas for topical articles or themes, when requested from the Member Editor.
    • To stimulate, encourage, guide, and direct the research needs of the field of young adult library services, and to regularly compile abstracts, disseminate research findings, update YALSA’s Research Agenda as needed and to liaise with ALA’s Committee on Research & Statistics.
    • Size: 7 virtual members, including Chair and at least two members from the previous year.
    • Term: July 1 through June 30
    • The Chair will be the Liaison to ALA’s Committee on Research & Statistics.

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

YALSA is currently looking for volunteers for task forces. A task force is an action-oriented membership group whose charge is to address specific goals, complete a specific task, or to consider a particular issue. There may be a designated time frame defined by the nature of the task or set forth in the function statement. Usually task forces have shorter terms than our other volunteer opportunities so they are perfect for those that may not be able to commit to a longer term or that want to get their feet wet with volunteering for YALSA.

Functions of a task force may include the following:

  • Gathering information and making recommendations
  • Studying an issue and preparing a report
  • Carrying out a specific project or activity
  • Conducting programs at conferences
  • Establishing committees or other subunits

We are looking for volunteers for the following task forces:

  • Presidential Initiatives Implementation Task Force
    • This is the task force that will assist me, President-elect Colleen Seisser, during my Presidential year in the following:
      • Provide support, guidance and advice to the YALSA President in the implementation of their theme. 
      • Activities may include working with the President to review Organizational and Implementation Plans to develop and coordinate appropriate theme-related goals, activities, and initiatives. 
      • As appropriate, collaborate with relevant YALSA leaders and groups to implement theme-related activities, including but not limited to the blog managers, journal editors, and committee chairs.
      • Assists the YALSA President in planning the President’s Program at ALA Annual.
      • Taskforce size: 5 – 7 virtual members including chair.
      • Term: 1 year term starting July 1 ending June 30 of the following year. 
  • Symposium Evaluation Taskforce
    • The Symposium Evaluation taskforce will examine four scenarios the YALSA Executive Committee created for possible future scenarios for the YALSA Symposium to help determine the course for the 2024 YALSA Symposium.
      • ➢ Scenario 1: Continue annual in person symposium
      • ➢ Scenario 2: Hybrid Symposium like the 2021 Symposium in Reno
      • ➢ Scenario 3: Virtual Symposium
      • ➢ Scenario 4: Biannual Model, return to Symposium every other year.
    • The taskforce will take up the four scenarios and work with the YALSA Program Officer and ALA Conference Services to fully examine the financial impact of each scenario with the addition of member feedback for each scenario.
    • The ultimate goal is to examine the sustainability of the YA Symposium and to determine the best course of action beginning with the YA Symposium in 2024.
    • Term: February 10, 2023 with a preliminary report presented at Annual 2023.
    • Taskforce size: 3- 5 virtual members including chair.
  • Symposium Planning and Marketing Taskforce
    • To assist YALSA’s Program Officer with the planning and marketing of the conference, including vetting papers and proposals, vetting scholarship applications, assisting the Program Officer with identifying authors and keynote speakers, and leveraging social media tools to promote the event and scholarship opportunities, and more.
    • Members will regularly share content via social media and through their state and local networks to build excitement for and share information about the event.
    • Members will work with YALSA’s Communications Specialist to assist with the implementation of a marketing plan.
    • Size: 5 to 7 virtual members, including the chair.
    • Term: January 25 through November 30
  • Teen Programming HQ Taskforce
    • The Teen Programming HQ Task Force will work to determine the future of the Teen Programming HQ website using the survey results from 2021.
    • The task force will focus on content creation, marketing, oversight, and aligning with our other member resources.
    • Term: July 1, 2023 through January 1, 2024.
    • Committee Size: 5-7 virtual members including chair

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

As President-Elect of YALSA, it is my role to make this year’s appointments. As I have been very transparent about this year, YALSA is experiencing a volunteer shortage. This especially holds true as we look this spring to appoint members to our annual strategic committees and advisory boards, and for our task forces.

Below you will find our current committees for which we are seeing YALSA member volunteers. If you are interested in any of these positions, please fill out our volunteer form and also 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.

As you fill out the nomination form, please refer to my post from last fall: How to Fill Out YALSA’s Volunteer Form. A reminder that if you want to serve a second term on the same strategic committee or advisory board, you must fill out the volunteer form again for this appointment process. When I review the applications via ALA’s dashboard, they show up in order by date and I have no way of knowing if you want to serve a second term.

Here’s the current list of open strategic committees, advisory boards, and task forces. Each of these are linked to their YALSA site (where available) for more information on each opportunity:

Please watch the YALSA Blog and the YALSA Connect space in the next couple of weeks, as there will be more thorough posts reviewing the types of opportunities involved for each of these volunteer positions.

Respectfully summitted by Colleen Seisser, YALSA President-Elect

YALSA’s Board Development Committee has put together the following slate for the 2023 YALSA Election which the current YALSA Executive Board has approved. We’re excited to announce the following candidates:

President-Elect:
Yvette Garcia

Fiscal Officer:
Meaghan Darling

Director-at-Large:
Kim Dare
Rachel Milburn
Katrina Ortega

Thank you to the Board Development Committee for their work: Amanda Rodriguez, Immediate Past-President co-chair, Kelly Czarnecki Past-President co-chair, Carla Land, Yolanda Hood, Valerie Tagoe, and Jennifer Korn.  Thank you all for your hard work and continued dedication to YALSA.

Don’t forget to cast your vote starting March 13, 2023.

Over 1700 members gathered, either virtually or in person, in New Orleans in January to attend ALA’s LibLearnX. It was a momentous occasion, not just because it was the first ever in-person LibLearnX, but also because of ALA Governance. LibLearnX 2023 was the first time ALA held the Governance Institute which brought together ALA member leaders and provided invaluable insights into critical issues related to effective governance, with a focus on communications and financial analysis, review, and stewardship. There was also an ALA Special Council Session called to discuss, revise and finalize the ALA Bylaws. This was not an easy task, and was not taken lightly. This revision has been the result of over five years and over hundreds of hours of work by multiple committees (SCOE, Forward Together, Transforming ALA Governance Task Force, and ALA Council). 

On June 27, 2022, during the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., ALA Council voted overwhelmingly in the affirmative to rescind the ALA Constitution and tasked the ALA Constitution and Bylaws Committee (CBC) with creating instead a thoroughly revised set of ALA Bylaws that integrates content from the Constitution into a single updated Bylaws document that reflects a modern, forward-looking Association.

Per the ALA Constitution (Article XII. Amendments), rescission of the ALA Constitution requires two consecutive votes of Council, followed by ratification by the members of the Association. On August 26, 2022, Council conducted the required second vote to rescind the Constitution—again voting overwhelmingly in the affirmative.

On January 27, 2023, during the Library Learning Experience event in New Orleans, LA, ninety-eight percent (98%) of ALA Council voted in the affirmative to adopt the general revision of the American Library Association Bylaws as amended, for submission to the American Library Association membership, with the proviso that, after appropriate review upon adoption of the general revision by the ALA membership, all recommended policy insertions be made in the ALA Policy Manual.

So now it’s your turn, the vote is in the hands of membership. Take time to read and understand this important document that will guide the Association in the coming years. Click here to access the ALA ByLaws Revised Document.

Respectfully submitted by Liz Nebeker, YALSA Councilor

YALSA is seeking a member manager for its collection development and content curation blog, The Hub for 2023-2024 term. We would like to thank Stephanie Johnson for the outstanding work and dedication she has put into The Hub the last year.

The member manager will serve a one-year term starting February 1, 2023, with an option to renew based on performance. Main responsibilities include leading an advisory board to provide oversight in creating, soliciting, and managing content for the blog, as well as recruiting bloggers. Additionally, the member manager will help manage the selected lists blogging teams and the dissemination of the selected lists, as well as the promotion and technical maintenance of the blog.

See the list of qualifications and responsibilities below.

List of Qualifications:

  1. Strong project management and organizational skills
  2. Ability to delegate work and to manage a variety of contributors and volunteers
  3. Dynamic, self-motivated individual
  4. Excellent verbal and written communications skills, in order to develop content and communicate with potential content providers
  5. Experience in web publishing with responsibilities including but not limited to: utilizing video clips, audio, and social media, maintaining a high standard of writing, and ensuring compliance with policies created for the maintenance of the site
  6. Knowledge of HTML and WordPress, which YALSA uses for administration of blog sites; as well as knowledge of plugins, tagging, categories, and other WordPress tools
  7. PHP knowledge a plus
  8. Ability to set and meet deadlines
  9. Knowledge of best practices and current trends in collection development for and with teens in libraries
  10. Ability to work well in a team environment
  11. Ability to work well in a mostly virtual setting, including using tools such as Google Drive, Google Calendar, Zoom, etc. to coordinate work and communicate with others
  12. Personal membership in YALSA
  13. A commitment to advancing the recommendations YALSA outlined in its report, The Future of Library Services for and with Teens: a Call to Action and Teen Services Competencies for Library Staff
  14. A commitment to advancing and supporting YALSA’s mission and EDI Plan.
    High ethical standards and no real or perceived conflict of interest with YALSA or its portfolio of print and web publications


Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Oversight & Coordination

  • Communicate with the Advisory Board, Selected List Blogging Team Leaders, and YALSA Communications Specialist on a regular basis to generate ideas for content, assign tasks, discuss marketing strategies, and discuss site management
  • Work with the YALS and JRLYA editors and YALSAblog and Teen Programming HQ managers as appropriate to coordinate dissemination of information to members and the library community.
  • Maintain communication with YALSA member groups whose work relates to collection development and content curation
  • Oversee and help manage the posting and promotion of the selected lists
  • Follow all established and relevant ALA and YALSA policies and guidelines, enforce them as necessary and periodically conduct a review of them to ensure relevancy and currency
  • Direct questions about sponsorships, advertising, etc. to YALSA’s Executive Director
  • Develop a calendar for content, based on YALSA events and activities as well as those going on in the larger community related to collecting and curating library materials for and with teens
  • Write reports prior to the Annual Conference and Midwinter Meeting for submission to the YALSA Board of Directors

Seek Out & Manage Content & Contributors

  • With the Advisory Board, review and edit content submitted to the site to make sure the quality is acceptable, that it is aligned with YALSA principles, and that it includes YALSA branding prior to posting, when appropriate
  • With the Advisory Board, manage postings regularly to guarantee quality of content and appropriate tagging and category identification
  • With the Advisory Board, recruit a diverse group of contributors on a regular basis, which may include but is not limited to: YALSA members, authors and teens
  • Communicate regularly with bloggers to solicit content, share news, motivate bloggers, develop a blogging schedule, etc.
  • Interact with and provide any necessary training to contributors as needed at ALA’s Annual Conference, Midwinter Meeting, or YALSA’s Symposium and via virtual means
  • Effectively motivate, support and manage a large and fluctuating group of contributors and volunteers
  • Work with the Advisory Board to manage comments and spam daily to guarantee that the blog content is appropriate

Promotion

  • Attend ALA and YALSA events to recruit contributors and inform member groups about the site
  • Answer questions and inquiries about the site in a timely fashion
  • Work with YALSAblog Member Manager to cross-promote the blogs and collaborate on projects that advance YALSA’s Organizational Plan
  • Utilize social media to increase awareness of the Hub and its content


Technical Maintenance

  • Work with YALSA’s Communications Specialist as appropriate to update and manage blog software
  • Monitor new technologies as they impact the site: add-ons and plug-ins to blog software, widgets or applications for hand-held devices, etc.


Selected Lists and Bloggers

  • Select bloggers and team leads for YALSA’s book lists: Amazing Audiobooks, Quick Picks, Best Fiction, and Great Graphic Novels for the Hub from volunteer applications with support from YALSA staff
  • Review applications for Selected List Teams and build a balanced roster for each team in terms of:
    • A balanced geographic distribution of members on the team
    • Representation of all library types (school, public, academic)
    • Inclusion of both younger and older adolescent focus of committee members
    • Representation of a variety of experience levels of team members
    • Diversity of team members in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, etc.
  • With Coordinators, facilitate the work of these blogging teams on The Hub by communicating with bloggers about editing and scheduling of reviews
  • Support the dissemination and promotion of final lists
  • Work with the Advisory and the Award and Selected List Oversight Committee to oversee training for Selected List Teams and leverage existing YALSA resources to do so, and develop new as needed
  • Provide a template and sample posts for the blogging teams, and other resources as called for.
  • Communicate regularly with Selected List Team Leads
  • Work with the Advisory Board to update and/or create guidelines for the Hub, including public comment guidelines, so that they accommodate selected list efforts
  • Sit in on virtual meetings of Selected List Teams, as needed
  • Offer guidance, support, and expertise for Team Leads throughout term as needed
  • Communicates with YALSA Board and staff regarding the possible need to expand into a co-manager format, and/or increase the size or change the make-up of the Advisory Board
  • Communicates with YALSA staff regarding any possible back-end improvements needed to the site to accommodate the selected list effort

The member manager will receive an honorarium for their one-year term, as well as a small stipend to attend YALSA/ALA conferences. Please note that this is not a salaried staff position, but a member volunteer opportunity. YALSA membership is required.

Submit a resume and cover letter to YALSA’s Executive Director, LaMoya Burks via email by February 13, 2023 with applicable management, writing and web publishing experience. Familiarity with PHP, WordPress, HTML, and social media preferred, but not required.