Life on the YALSA Board: A President-Elect/President/Past President Perspective

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This week YALSA Board members are writing about their experience serving on the Board.’  This post is one in that series.

The unique thing about running for YALSA President is that, if elected, you will fill three distinct roles in three years. All of the things that Sara Ryan mentioned in her perspective as a Board member hold true, plus there are additional responsibilities.

As President-Elect you will spend the year working hard on making committee and task force appointments.’  This is no small task, but it is a great way to get to know many YALSA members.’  You will also be serving on the Executive Committee and have those meetings (including an in-person meeting in the fall), in addition to regular YALSA Board meetings.’  There is a lot of observing and learning during this year, as well as developing a working relationship with the President and Executive Director.

What skills do you need to be President-Elect? An attention to detail, a willingness to learn, and a good system for organizing your work. Read More →

YALSA President’s Report: March 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
YALSA Executive Director, Beth Yoke, attended this year’s WrestleMania Reading Challenge event and returned with these Mission Moment stories:

Two of thiis year’s Reading Challenge finalists were from a school for homeless youth in San Diego and two kids returned from previous years. I spoke to the mother of one, who said that her son enters every year in hopes of winning. He’s a 10th grader who has wrestled since he was 5 and who wants to be an architect.
Read More →

YALSA President’s Report: February 2010

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“Risky Business”

Please feel free to forward this email to others whom you think will be 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 YALSA’s Midwinter Meetings, the Board voted to create a member recognition award that will annually honor a committee chair, committee member, and/or member group for their work with and for YALSA during the previous year. YALSA Board member Stephanie Squicciarini has agreed to chair the ad hoc committee that will develop an award proposal to be presented to the Board at their Annual meetings in June. The creation of this Award directly supports YALSA’s mission to support those who provide service to teens and the member engagement and recruitment goal in the strategic plan. Thank you to Stephanie and her committee members for their work on this initiative.

Accomplishments Read More →

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 →