Some recognition for the Printz

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It has been disappointing to see the Printz Award virtually ignored by the media who manages to cover the Newbery and Caldecott. I did note that USA Today and some other papers at least noted the winner of the Printz, but nowhere I have I seen interviews with John Green about LOOKING FOR ALASKA.

I wonder how to catch the interest of the media. After all, they seem to focus only on the recent spate of censorship cases. Why not a focus on the great new award winning books and the readers that are being nurtured by their availability? I wonder if ALSC could assist YALSA here and request that the Printz winner be included in the press events? I know we are the new kids on the block, but the Printz deserves some more recognition.

BTW, thanks to the hardy YA folks who stood outside the Today Show window and waved copies of ALASKA! Maybe more of us can plan a trip to the Big Apple for next year?

Posted by Teri Lesesne

Technology Questions for VP/Pres Candidates

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Posted by YALSA Member Michele Gorman:

Here is a question for the VP/President Candidates:

What’s your favorite emerging technology and how do you see that kind of technology impacting service to teens in the future? How should YALSA address the training issues related to teen services librarians and new technologies in a sustainable, ongoing way?

I think this is a very important topic because we are dealing with a new generation of learners who have been raised in a digital world. I want to know how the YALSA president is going to address this shift so that we, as an association, are leading our profession in terms of meeting the technological needs of our teen patrons.

Member Issue Questions for VP/President Candidates

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Posted by Amy Alessio

Paula & Allen:

Here are a few more questions on member issues, then a fun one about your YA interests:

What services do you feel YALSA provides that are the most valuable for new members? Long-term members? Do you have further ideas on how to reach those groups of members?

How would you help a director find a way to support someone wanting to work with YALSA? (I thinking of all the members who cannot afford to come to conference, which is the case in most of Illinois, my home state.)

What are some of your favorite YA books/authors? Movies?

Professional Development

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There has been some considerable discussion on the listservs about the lack of professional conferences for YA folks. Our state library association does a good job of bringing in people for the annual conference, but I wonder how many people know that YALSA is offering online PD?

There are other opportunities as well with organizations outside of ALA: SIGNAL (International Reading Associations YA group) and ALAN (National Council of Teachers of English YA group). ALAN does not require membership in NCTE nor does SIGNAL require IRA membership. ALAN folks can go to the workshop without registering for the larger and more expensive NCTE conference, too.

The PD page at YALSA has links and info about many of these PD opportunities.

Posted by Teri Lesesne

Futher Questions for VP Candidates

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From Amy Alessio:

Allen & Paula:
Here are a few more questions:

What training or mentoring have you done to spread the YA word to other professionals? Who has mentored or made a difference with you?

You both know I’m especially interested in YALSA Finances. We need increased revenue to bring new services. Please suggest ways both of these things could be accomplished during your term.

Online Literacies Course Week Two

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Posted by Linda W. Braun

This week in the course we are talking about creation and participation technologies. Things like Wikis, Tagging, Blogs, RSS, and Podcasts. One thing I was just thinking about in relation to these technologies is how wonderful it would be if librarians in different communities used the technology to bring teens together. Perhaps a group of teens from distant communities could create a wiki together on a topic of interest. Or maybe teens could interview each other for a series of podcasts on teens and libraries. I’ve been thinking a lot about the implications of these technologies in teen lives in particular. But, it’s time to also think about how libraries can connect teens around the country through these technologies.

More Questions for VP/President Candidates

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Posted by Amy Alessio:

Let’s let readers get to know both of you.

Why are you running for YALSA VP/President?

What is your current position? Please also list experiences relevant to young adult services. What was/is your favorite project working directly with teens?

Please tell readers about your family and interests outside of libraries.

News from New Literacies Online Course

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Posted by Linda W. Braun

This is the first week of YALSA’s online course – New Literacies for Young Adults. We started on Monday and the full class – 28 students in all – has been discussing, creating, and participating. As I’ve been teaching the class and communicating with students, I’ve been thinking a lot about all the reading and writing required in order to participate in anything online. For example, this week one of the topics up for discussion is My Space. Students in the class have been discussing how to setup My Space accounts, troubleshooting My Space glitches, and considering how and why community environments like My Space appeal to teenagers. In order to do that we’ve all be reading and writing constantly.

At the same time I’ve been thinking about all of the new cool sites I keep finding out about. These include, Pandora which is a very interesting music streaming site and Newsvine which is a site that aggregates news and gives members the chance to write articles for the site.

No matter where I turn to look at technology that teens and adults use, I’m bombarded with text and I’m given the chance to write down my own ideas about the resource I’m checking out. Literacy is not a thing of the past, that’s for sure. The ways we read and write might change, but the actual act of reading and writing live on stronger than ever – I would say.