YALSA President’s Report: January 2010

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“Risky Business”

Please feel free to forward this report to others whom you think are interested

The mission of the Young Adult Library Services Association is to advocate, promote and strengthen service to young adults as part of the continuum of total library service, and to support those who provide service to this population.

Mission Moment

How Recent YALSA Activities Support the Association’s Mission and Strategic Plan
At their Midwinter Meetings, the YALSA Board voted to approve a proposal that expanded virtual participation in the Association’s process committees. This decision directly supports the Member Engagement goal in YALSA’s strategic plan as it provides more members opportunities to participate in the Association. And, by providing those opportunities, YALSA also meets its mission to support those who provide service to teens. The proposal that was approved by the Board at Midwinter is available on the YALSA web site.

Accomplishments
My focus during January was on YALSA’s Midwinter Meeting in Boston. Prior to the Meeting I worked with YALSA’s Executive Director, Executive Committee, and Board members to finalize Board meeting agendas and supporting documents for each item on the Board agenda. The YALSA Board made several key decisions during their Midwinter meetings and also began discussions on topics that will help shape the Association’s programs, services, and products over the next few years. Read More →

Board Meetings – 1/17 & 1/18/10

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I planned to post about YALSA’s Board meetings every day of Midwinter. But, as they say, “The best laid plans….”

Following the Saturday 1/16/10 meeting, the YALSA Board met twice more and the hard-working members continued to strategically plan for the Association. Items on the agenda on Sunday and Monday were discussion items. That means that what was discussed was not slated for specific action. Items listed as discussion usually are related to topics that haven’t yet been discussed by the Board and which may need more thought, and perhaps revision, before placed on a future agenda for a specific action. Discussion items can be acted on, but they do not have to be. An overview of topics discussed on Sunday, 1/17/10, and Monday, 1/18/10, follows. Read More →

Sit In On YALSA Board Meetings @ Midwinter

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In less than a week I’ll be in Boston, sort of hard for me to believe, but it’s true. I’m going a bit early in order to attend the ALISE Conference. At ALISE I’ll attend some sessions and meetings as well as host a YALSA Happy Hour for Conference attendees and staff the YALSA booth for a few hours during the week. (If you will be at ALISE be sure to stop by.)

Right after ALISE is Midwinter and there are quite a few things that I’m gearing up for at the Meeting. One of the activities that is very much on my mind are the meetings of the YALSA Board. As mentioned in my December President’s Report, anyone is welcome to attend YALSA’s Board meetings. (The full agenda and documentation is now available on the YALSA Members Only Web Site.)

If you are going to be in Boston, think about spending some time with the Board. These Board meetings are a very good way to learn about the work of the organization, find out what it’s like to serve as a Board member, and get updates on YALSA projects and activities. Even if a new YALSA member you might want to stop in at a Board meeting in order to find out what the Association is doing for you, and find out how YALSA governance works. Read More →

YALSA President’s Report: December 2009

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The mission of the Young Adult Library Services Association is to advocate, promote and strengthen service to young adults as part of the continuum of total library service, and to support those who provide service to this population.

Mission Moment
How Recent YALSA Activities Support the Association’s Mission and Strategic Plan

In December YALSA hired the first editor of the Association’s research journal. Jessica Moyer was selected by the search committee. The research journal is slated to launch in the fourth-quarter of 2010 and is both directly tied to YALSA’s mission and the Association’s strategic plan. As a demonstration of supporting YALSA’s mission, hiring Jessica is a key step in publishing a journal that will help members understand teens and how to serve them effectively. The YALSA strategic plan includes a goal area for research which states, “YALSA is a recognized source for access to targeted research benefiting members and the library community.” Hiring a journal editor is an important action in reaching this strategic goal.

Accomplishments

In early December I facilitated two conversations for Committee Chairs on planning and getting ready for Midwinter Meeting in Boston. Information covered in the conversations included submission of pre-conference committee reports, building an agenda for committee meetings, what to expect at all-committee and leadership development meetings, and events (outside of committee meetings) to attend at Midwinter. Read More →

YALSA President’s Report: November 2009

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The mission of the Young Adult Library Services Association is to advocate, promote and strengthen service to young adults as part of the continuum of total library service, and to support those who provide service to this population.

Accomplishments

Over the last month YALSA’s Executive Director, Beth Yoke, and I have participated in several calls with committee chairs to discuss ongoing and upcoming projects. These include a call with the incoming chair, John Sexton, of the 2011 YALSA Nominating Committee to talk abou the process of developing a YALSA slate for election 2011; the current Chair of the Research Committee, Rebecca Hunt, to discuss Research Committee activities in support of YALSA’s strategic plan; and the current Chair of the Division Membership and Promotion Committee, Candice Mack, to discuss the YALSA 201 event planned for Midwinter in Boston and YALSA’s continued efforts to recruit and engage members. I want to thank John, Rebecca, and Candice for their leadership in YALSA. Read More →

YALSA President’s Report: October 2009

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Accomplishments

  • Each fall YALSA’s Executive Committee meets in Chicago to discuss plans for the coming months. The meetings this year took place October 23 and 24 and the group talked about a range of topics including supporting and recognizing members in a recession, providing training for YALSA leadership, YALSA’s selected lists portfolio, and evaluation of the spending of Morris Endowment funds. Plans covered at the meetings are now being discussed by the full YALSA Board and will help in developing upcoming YALSA programs, services and opportunities. Read More →

Post Fall Exec – Now What?

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In a previous post I wrote about ALA/YALSA Fall Exec, the time when the Executive Committees from ALA Divisions meet (individually) to plan for the upcoming months and year. Last weekend was the 2009 Fall Exec weekend and I wanted to follow-up the previous blog post with some information about discussions and plans. (As a reminder, all of the documents for Fall Exec are available to YALSA members in the Members Only section of the Association web site.) Read More →

Fall Exec: What’s That?

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Every fall the executive committees of ALA divisions meet in Chicago in order to plan for the upcoming months and year. The weekend of meetings is often referred to as Fall Exec and this year’s meetings take place this weekend.

For YALSA, the Executive Committee (made up of the president, president-elect, immediate past president, secretary, fiscal officer and division councilor) meets on Friday morning and all day Saturday. On Friday afternoon YALSA’s Executive Committee members join with other division leaders at a large group meeting to talk about ALA’s strategic plan. Read More →

YALSA President’s Report: September 2009

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During the past month I have continued to work with YALSA’s Executive Director, Beth Yoke, the Executive Committee, and Board members on programs and services of the Association.

Accomplishments

  • As a part of ALA’s strategic planning process Division Executive Directors and Presidents, Roundtable representatives, along with ALA Executive Board members and some ALA staff members participated in a strategic planning retreat. The planning was facilitated by Paul Meyer of the Tecker Consulting Group. During the retreat sessions participants discussed ALA’s mission, vision, and goals for the future. Over the next few months ideas developed at the retreat and at follow-up ALA meetings will be released for feedback to members and member groups.
  • Each fall members of ALA Division Executive Committees meet in Chicago to discuss plans for the coming year. Over the past few weeks I’ve worked with YALSA Executive Director Beth Yoke on the agenda and support materials for meetings of YALSA’s Executive Committee. Read More →

YALSA Board – Hard At Work

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Yesterday, YALSA’s hard-working Board of Directors met, via conference call, to go over committee post-conference reports and follow-up on a few other items that they’ve been working on. The full agenda and documents for the meeting are available on the YALSA web site in the For Members Only section. (A member login is required to access the documents.)

In this post I want to highlight a few of the items from the meeting:

  • The YALSA Board agreed to update the charge for the Division’s Strategic Planning Committee. This is a standing committee for YALSA (which means it always exists) but at times when the Division is not actually working on a strategic plan it can be difficult for the group to continue their work. Read More →