2021 YALSA Award & Grant Winners

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Every year through generous donations to Friends of YALSA and the Leadership Endowment, YALSA is able to recognize and award individuals (and their libraries) who work for and with teens through our various awards and grants. The work these individuals, along with everyone else in the library community, accomplishes on a daily basis is nothing short of amazing and admirable. This is why we’d like to take this time to spotlight this year’s award and grant recipients, as well as congratulate and thank them for their work and dedication to teens and teen services.

The winners of YALSA’s 2021 Awards and Grants are as follows:

Baker & Taylor Collection Development Grant

  • Karen Bilton, Young Adult/Reference Librarian at the Franklin Township Public Library in Somerset, NJ

    Emily Mazzoni

  • Emily Mazzoni, Teen Services Librarian at the Monroe Township (New Jersey) Public Library.

Both recipients will receive $1,000, funded generously by Baker & Taylor, to purchase new materials to expand their library’s young adult collection.

Frances Henne Research Grant

Emily Booth

Emily Booth, PhD candidate and research assistant at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Booth will receive $1,000 for her research project.

 

Great Books Giveaway

  • Belfast (Maine) Area High School
  • Franklin Township Public Library in Somerset, NJ
  • Townsend Harris High School in Flushing, NY

Each library will receive a share of over $20,000 in materials.

Joann Sweetland Lum Memorial Grant

Laura Haverkamp

Laura Haverkamp, Librarian at Dreher High School in Columbia. Haverkamp will receive $1,000 to purchase puppets, supplies for green screens and software for her literacy project.

Margaret A. Edwards (MAE) Award for Best Literature Program for Teens

Amanda Cawthon, Youth Services Librarian at Pflugerville (Texas) Public Library. Cawthon will receive a $500 award for herself and an additional $500 for her library.

Volunteers of the Year Award

Gregory Lum

Gregory Lum, individual YALSA member

Molly Dettmann, Coordinator of YALSA’s 2021 Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers Blogging Team

Molly Dettmann

The 2019 Outstanding Books for the College Bound Committee: Yolanda Hood, chair, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada; Donna Steel Cook, Central ISD, Pollok, Texas; Kelsey Hughes, South Bowie Branch, Prince George’s County Memorial Library System, Bowie, MD; Jane Nichols, Oregon State University Libraries and Press, Corvallis, OR; Jennifer Powell, Tarrant High School, Tarrant, AL; and Jamie Watson, Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, MD.

Each recipient will receive complimentary membership to YALSA for one year.

Writing Award

Jennifer Banas

Jennifer Banas, A Public Health Approach to Uncovering the Health-Related Needs of Teen Library Patrons. The Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults.

Terry Lewis and Cate Sweeney, Bee-Tweens at the Bee Cave Public Library. Young Adult Library Services.

Deborah Takahashi, July is BIPOC Mental Health Month. YALSAblog.

The winners of the journal articles will each receive a $500 monetary award due to the more extensive nature of their work, while the winners of the blog posts will each receive a $200 monetary award.

Congratulations again to all the recipients! The application period for the next round of our awards and grants is open. Most have a deadline of December 1. Apply now. Eligibility requirements apply.

If you’d like to donate to help fund these grants to support the work of your fellow colleagues, visit the Friends of YALSA web page. Thank you!

How YALSA Funds Member Services & Support for Library Staff

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A common question that I get, especially from new board members, is about where funds come from to support YALSA and its members.  The answer is pretty straightforward, although not one many people expect.  Member dues make up only about a third of YALSA’s total funding.  The other two thirds comes from product sales (award seals, books & e-learning); events (YA Services Symposium & ticketed events at ALA conferences); grants; corporate sponsorships; interest from YALSA’s endowments; and individual donations.  Many people are surprised to learn that funds from ALA or the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) are not a part of YALSA’s annual budget.  Actually, YALSA receives important services from ALA, such as HR and legal counsel, but not regular financial support.  IMLS offers competitive grants that YALSA is eligible for, and we have been awarded two.  If you’re interested, you can learn more about YALSA finances in my latest annual report.

All the funds that come into YALSA, from whatever source, are used to

  1. Provide members with services and support, like free monthly webinars and the summer learning grants we now have available
  2. Create and share resources with the library community, at no cost to library staff, such as our short, informational videos and newest toolkit about teen literacies

Read More →

Help Support Scholarships & Grants for Library Staff

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As of this morning, YALSA is $205 away from reaching our end-of-the year fundraising goal of $1,000. If we hit our goal, a donor has agreed to match it with a $1,000 donation of their own! Please consider making a donation to Friends of YALSA, which supports $16,000 worth of grants, scholarships and awards each year for library staff. Donations can be made online, and details are here: http://www.ala.org/yalsa/givetoyalsa/give. Donations can also be made via text message. Simply, text ALA TEENALA to this number: 41518 to make a $10 donation to YALSA. Thank you for your support and have a wonderful new year!

Have You Started Your Own Revolution?

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on behalf of the MAE Award Jury

The MAE Award for Best Literature Program for Teens recognizes an outstanding reading or literature program for young adults. Learn more about the 2013 winner–you could be next!

Kristen Pelfrey, a teacher at Foothill Technology High School, won the 2013 MAE Award for Best Literature Program for Teens with her program “Best Fiction (about) Young Adults Revolution.” She has continued the Revolution this school year, and spoke by email about her experiences with the MAE Award:

How did winning this award affect how you were viewed at your school or community? How did your students react?

My kids were not surprised at all. They were “Well, yeah, that’s cool” and then immediately made requests for books they want to read. I, on the other hand, went shrieking into the main office and danced down the hall with a copy of the notification email. The entire Underground Library is funded by grant money, and we always need more books. I think that winning this award has helped me get other grant monies. I asked for a matching grant from our parent organization, for example. People seem more inclined to award grants if they see how an organization like ALA/YALSA ‘ put the stamp of approval on it. Read More →

MAE Award Seeks to Recognize Outstanding Reading or Literature Programming for Young Adults

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On behalf of the MAE Award Jury

Do you run a spectacular teen book club that engages underserved audiences? Did your summer reading program or literature festival connect teens with literature in an innovative way? Have you connected teens to literature or helped them gain literacy skills via some other exciting means? If so, you could win $500 for yourself and an additional $500 for your library by applying for award. Individual library branches may apply.

YALSA members who have run an exceptional reading or literature program in the 12 months leading up to Dec. 1, 2013 are eligible to apply for the MAE Award for Best Literature Program for Teens, which recognizes an outstanding reading or literature program for young adults.

The MAE Award is sponsored by the Margaret A. Edwards Trust. Applications and additional information about the award are available online. Applications must be submitted online by Dec. 1, 2013. For questions about the award, please contact the jury chair, Laurie Amster-Burton. The winner will be announced the week of Feb. 9, 2014.

Not a member of YALSA yet? It’s not too late to join so you can be eligible for this award. You can do so by contacting YALSA’s Membership Marketing Specialist, Letitia Smith, at lsmith@ala.org or (800) 545-2433, ext. 4390.

Recognize the great work you are doing to bring teens together with literature and apply today

TRW 2013: Dollar General Literacy Foundation, Molly Wetta

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Karen Allen, Teen Services Librarian, and Molly Wetta, YA Library Assistant

Karen Allen, Teen Services Librarian, and Molly Wetta, YA Library Assistant

Molly Wetta and Karen Allen of Lawrence Public Library are the innovative minds behind one of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation grant winning projects. Their Choose-Your-Own-Apocalypse scavenger hunt styled program kick starts their Teen Read Week celebration with a real life version of an alternative reality game whereby participants must “Seek the Unknown” throughout the city in order to survive the terror that awaits them.

You have read the introduction of the Choose-Your-Own-Apocalypse program and wonder about the basic rules for participation, thinking it might interest your library’s teen group.
In order to solve all of the clues for the hunt, participants must have transportation and some type of tech that will take digital photos. Teams cannot exceed the number of 6 teens but can be made up of the teen’s parents and/or siblings. Teams must also choose one hunt from the list of apocalypse themes of zombies, aliens, super volcano, or civil war. Three hours is the total time allotted to obtain the necessary items and successfully survive the apocalypse. All clues lead participants to items that will help them survive the apocalypse such as food, water, and medical supplies. In some cases, clues are released through the participation of community partners. One clue is announced over the air by a local campus radio station, another is positioned on a local business sign, and yet one more can be found in the ad section of the local paper.

You understand the basic rules and desire to know how this program connects with the idea to “Read for the Fun of It”, so you continue reading. Read More →

Teen Read Week: Dollar General Literacy Foundation Spotlight, Dawn Abron

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Dawn Abron - Zion-Benton Public Library, Teen Associate

Dawn Abron – Zion-Benton Public Library, Teen Associate

Meet Dawn Abron. She WOWED the Teen Read Week Committee with her Dollar General Literacy Foundation Grant application this year. We’d like to thank Dawn for taking some time out of her busy week to tell us about what she did with the SEEK THE UNKNOWN theme.

1. Describe your TRW YALSA/Dollar General Literacy Foundation Grant.

Teens in our district enjoy writing short stories so we decided to showcase their passion of writing with an annual competition.’  We used the grant to fund our First Annual ZB Inked Short Story Competition.’  We had two categories: high school and middle school.’  First, second, and third place winners were rewarded with a Kindle Fire, a Kindle Paperwhite, and a $50 movie theater gift card.

We began our TRW with a short story boot camp.’  We invited a local author and creative writing teacher, Kathi Baron, to give teens tips for writing great short stories.

2. Tell us a little about your teens’ stories.

Teens used this year’s theme, Seek The Unknown, as the theme for their short stories.’  Our teens really ran with the theme and entered fantasy stories about a girl who was given the gift of radiance through fireflies; men trapped in the Amazon with giant, deadly spiders; and a girl from Mars with an interesting past.’  Read More →

YALSA’s Reads 4 Teens digital download now available in the ALA Store

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The Young Adult Library Services Association’s (YALSA) Reads 4 Teens recommended reading lists for teen patrons is now available for purchase as a digital download through the ALA Store. Reads 4 Teens is a collection of the best in the latest teen literature and includes 32 customizable pamphlets and 10 bookmarks, each featuring a different theme or genre.
YALSABooklists200x300
All titles featured in this resource appeared on YALSA’s 2013 lists of recommended reading or were honored by a 2013 YALSA book award. Read More →

YALSA 2013 Election Results

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YALSA has announced the results of its election!

Candidate results are as follows. Thank you to all who ran for office this year!

YALSA President-Elect

Chris Shoemaker

YALSA Board of Directors

Maureen Hartman
Krista McKenzie

Edwards Committee

Alicia Blowers
Sophie Brookover
Gail Zachariah

Printz Committee

Robin Brenner
Diane Colson
Angela Frederick
Shelly McNerney

Nonfiction Committee

Todd Krueger
Drue Wagner Mees
Joy Millam
Brenna Shanks

Visit ALA’s web site for their election results.

Call for nominations for Edwards, Nonfiction, and Printz Award Committees

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awards

Although the 2013 spring election to select the new members of the Edwards, Nonfiction, and Printz Award Committees is still ongoing, members of the 2014 Award Nominating Committee — ‘ Joy Kim, Stephanie Anne Squicciarini, Patti Tjomsland, Rollie Welch, and Pam Spencer Holley — are already at work collecting and vetting viable candidates for next spring’s election. That process which will continue through August of this year, when candidate names will be submitted to the YALSA Board.

Read More →