I learned a lot about audiobooks. Over the course of the year, I listened to audiobooks in the car, at the gym, during lunch, while getting dressed in the morning, while making meals, while doing housework, and while sitting on the couch feeling like maybe I would never finish all of the listening that I needed to do (look at all of the titles we received last year!). But all of that listening helped me develop a more sophisticated sense of what makes a good or poor audiobook (you don’t always like something, even if it’s really good).

I learned a lot about how other people listen to audiobooks. We discussed titles online over the year, but the majority of our discussion happened during meetings at Annual and Midwinter. Everyone brings different experiences, backgrounds, and preferences to their listening, and it was interesting to hear what others heard that I didn’t or what was important to them (I don’t think I really appreciated the value of pacing until these discussions). This has helped me become better at listeners’ advisory and I feel much better equipped to put good audiobooks in the right hands.

I learned a lot about myself and how I work. I think Amazing Audios is a good first selection committee because you know how much time you need to spend listening every day. While you can’t speed read an audiobook the way you might a print book if you were on BFYA, you also don’t encounter titles that take you an unexpectedly
long time to get through. Knowing how many hours I needed to spend listening every day meant I became more organized with how I used my time and how I fit that listening in–and when to stop listening and do something else.

Now that I’m beginning my term as chair, I’m learning even more. A selection committee chair has all of the responsibilities of a committee member (meaning I’m still on the hook for lots and lots of listening!), but there are other responsibilities like communicating with publishers, communicating with committee members,
setting up the behind-the-scenes stuff like where our discussions take place and creating instructions for committee members to review their assigned titles (I like this especially because I like organizing), requesting meetings at Annual and Midwinter, calling for field nominations, reporting on our progress to the Board, creating a monthly list of nominated titles, and, eventually, finalizing our annotated list and turning it in. I’m sure there are a lot of other things I have yet to discover, too!

Being on Amazing Audiobooks has been a great experience. I’ve learned a lot about audiobooks, about myself, and about YALSA. I’ve grown as a listener, an organizer, and a librarian. I’m so thankful that I was given this opportunity, and I can’t wait to share our final list with you next year!

The YALSA Nominating Committee for 2012 has been working hard to select candidates for this year’s election. The Excellence in Nonfiction Award Committee honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a November 1 – October 31 publishing year. The Committee is made up of eight members, including the chair. You can read the Committee policies and procedures on the YALSA website.

This is your chance to get to know this year’s candidates nominated to serve on the Excellence in Nonfiction Committee. Polls are open from March 19 to April 27.

Today we have an interview with Renee McGrath.

What experience do you have that makes you a good candidate for the Excellence in Nonfiction Award?
I have served on Popular Paperbacks for YAs (2 years) and just finished my term on the 2012 Newbery Award Selection Committee. Both of these committees gave me the experience of working with a big group of people on how to come to a decision about a book and whether or not it should either be included on a list or was worthy of an award. I also learned a lot about critically evaluating titles for an award. It is a different kind of reading. You must set aside your personal beliefs and interests and only look at the book for what it offers the reader in regards to the criteria of the award.

Why do you want to be a member of this awards committee?
I have always had a special place in my heart for nonfiction geared for younger people. I think part of that is professional and most of it is personal. When my son was young, nonfiction books would make him come alive! As he got older, it was sometimes the only thing I could get him to read. So, I came to really appreciate having excellent nonfiction available at my public library. It was not something I could afford to purchase on my own. I know what a good nonfiction book can mean to a parent who is struggling to get a child to read. When I became a librarian serving youth, I also realized the value of an excellent nonfiction book. It was something I could rely on when doing readers’ advisory. I would also use them in class visits. Many times, it was the nonfiction titles that went out first.

What are you most looking forward to in being a part of this award decision process?
Everything! Getting the books, reading them, critically evaluating them, and ultimately working with the committee to select the winner.

What do you feel are the key factors for decision-making for the Excellence in Nonfiction Award?
I will have to study the policies and procedures a bit before being completely knowledgeable on how the committee comes to their decision. However, I do know that we will look at the writing, making sure it is written in an engaging manner. We will also make sure that the information presented is accurate and organized in such a way that it is clear to the young adult reader.

The reading load for awards committees is very high, how do you plan on managing the work load of award committee life?
I was able to manage the reading load for both Popular Paperbacks and Newbery, so I don’t think I will have a problem with this one. I have become very good at using my iPad to organize my notes and schedules.

What have you learned from past experiences on awards, juries, or other YALSA committees that you will bring with you to this committee?
To always keep an open mind and listen to everyone.

In your experience, how has the YALSA Awards and Selected Lists helped you as a librarian, or made your work better or easier or different than expected?
Anytime a subject list of titles is made available or a book receives an award by YALSA, it helps highlight them and make them known to a wider audience. This is always a good thing and helps bring attention to books that may not have had much readership beforehand.

  For example, students doing research within inches of print material in my library are quick to search for information online instead of browsing the stacks.

What’s a librarian to do?  If I acknowledge that fiction circulation is higher than non-fiction circulation (at least in my library) then how can I use this to my advantage?  This is what I came up with:

Non-fiction/Fiction book pairs.

My pitch for reading teachers is a unit where students read a pair of books.  One non-fiction and one fiction (here’s where the librarians get to be creative with their book knowledge).  Students then use the non-fiction information to fact check information embedded into a work of fiction.  This gets students reading in two styles (perfect for core standards) and forces students to use higher level thinking skills.

But what about circulation outside of an assignment?  A few years ago I had a lovely practicum student, Alicia Wiechert.  We discussed increasing passive reader’s advisory and she developed these amazing read-alike folders for her semester project.  On the front of the file folder is the picture of a popular title (like Hunger Games) and inside are a series of note cards profiling similar books (title image and book blurb) that students can flip through.  I was on my way home from work the other day thinking about this post when it occurred to me that I could use this idea for my non-fiction/fiction pairs.  I would use the same format, but instead of read alikes I would put a pair of books on each notecard.  Non-fiction on one side and its fictional counterpart on the flip side.

A series of laminated note cards

A series of laminated notecards secured at the top with tape and organized like a waterfall down the inside of the folder

Recommended fiction pair on the back

Here are the books I paired with the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults:

The Notorious Benedict Arnold by Steven Sheinkin and Finishing Beccaby Ann Rinaldi
Sugar Changed the World by Mark Aronson and Taste of Salt by Frances Temple
Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition by Karen Blumenthal and  Black Duck by Janet Taylor Lisle
Wheels of Change by Sue Macy and Bread and Roses Too by Katherine Patterson
Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein by Susan Goldman Rubin and The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing by Ann Angel and Jimi & Me by Jaime Adoff
They Called Themselves the KKK by Susan Campbell Bartoletti and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
Spies of Mississippi: The True Story of the Spy Network that Tried to Destroy the Civil Rights Movement by Rick Bowers and The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon
The Dark Game: True Spy Stories by Paul B. Janeczko and Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
Every Bone Tells a Story:  Hominin Descoveries, Deductions and Debates by Rubalcaba, Jill and The Christopher Killer by Alane Ferguson
Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman and The Danger Box by Blue Balliett
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone and Taking Off by Jenny Moss
The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P.T. Barnum by Candice Fleming and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland by Sally M. Walker and Pocahontas by Joseph Bruchac

The great thing about this format is the pairings are flexible and the cards are simple to make and update in a flash.

Happy non-fiction reading!

Number 1 http://socialtimes.com/ Social Times

I discovered this website over the summer and it has become my all time favorite website.  It has all kinds of different information that is pertinent to our field.  It gives quality info about all things digital. It has information about new technology that is coming out, new websites, old websites, any current news going on in the world of technolgy. This website helps me to stay on top of many different areas of my  job and gives me the knowledge to competently speak on current issues in our field.

In edition to all of this useful information, it also has a very cool web video section.  Every week the editor puts together viral youtube clips on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  Whenever I am stuck trying to find something to post on my library system’s teen Facebook page, I just go to this section and find a funny video to post – total lifesaver!

Number 2- www.teenreads.com Teen Reads

This is a great source for checking out new (and old) YA titles.  This site offers reviews of newly released or soon to be released YA books.  It has booklists and resources for starting a teen book club. It has author interviews- some are podcasts, some are written.  I’ve also seen video book reviews on this site.  You can sign up for their monthly newsletter so you don’t have to remember to check it all the time. There’s also fun stuff- like polls and all kinds of different giveaways ( I enter every month and haven’t won anything yet.  I still keep trying- it’s gotta be my turn sooner or later, right?).

Number 3- www.etsy.com Etsy

I’m going to assume most childrens and YA people know about Etsy.  It’s a website where people sell handmade crafts and crafting supplies.  Don’t judge it yet- there are REALLY nice things on Etsy. If you’ve heard of it and have been meaning to check it out, today is the day.  When I’m totally stuck on what to do for a teen program, I check out Etsy. There are all kinds of different craft categories and I just start browsing through for inspiration. Some of the things they sell are really cheap. ( I also just found out about www.regretsy.com  – crazy stuff found on etsy and similar sites- funny stuff:)

Number 4- http://www.the4yablog.com/ 4YA

I decided to just go ahead and keep with the craft theme and mention the 4YA blog here. One of my co-workers had this site up one day when I came to take my turn at the desk. HELLO- it’s awesome!  It has all kinds of great ideas for YA librarians to use from program ideas and crafts,plus useful information about things like new gaming systems and video game reviews.  It has a focus on outreach oppurtunities.

Number 5- http://www.webjunction.org/1 Webjunction

Do you need to brush up on your reader’s advisory?  Want some tips on how to deal with unhappy patrons?  Tyring to figure out what ereader is the best for your library system?  Have no fear, webjunction is here.  The website has fantastic FREE webinars for library workers.  I have listened to three or four different webinars  at this point and they are all put on by experienced professionals.  The information given has been very useful and applicable, not ideas that just sound great in theory but do not work in reality.  All library workers should b eusing this site so we can continue our own life long education.

Number 6- prezi.com Prezi

So, this is a relatively new site for me and I am not very experienced with it, but it is too cool not to share.  I learned about it in a session at the Virginia Library Association conference this October.  It is the new way to do powerpoint, except it is so much cooler than powerpoint.  It twists and turns, zooms in and out, makes charts, adds photos, adds websites, everything that powerpoint does, only cooler, faster and easier.  You can save all of your prezis to a flash drive, so if you are somewhere without Internet access, you are still good to go.  You can have a free account or you can pay a yearly fee to have more memory.  Rather than me try to explain the coolness to you, click the link below:

http://prezi.com/ftv9hvziwqi2/coca-cola-company/

Number 7 – http://graphicnovelreporter.com/ Graphic Novel Reporter

This website is a treasure trove for those of you who are graphic novel novices (like myself). I’m sure those of you who are pros can find it helpful as well.  I know a little about graphic novels and have read manga and am actually starting a teen anime club at my library next weekend.  For the past few years I have ordered the graphic novels for my building.  So, I guess maybe I’m somewhere between novice and pro.

This site is run by the same group as Teen Reads and has many of the same features. The feature I liked best was the reviews.  They are broken down into age and genre categories and are in alphabectical order with a search box to type in a particular title.  It has reliable resources, such as book lists and manga terms.  It has an accompanying blog.  You can also sign up to recieve the weekly newsletter.  I was so excited to find this website.

Number 8 – yahoo.com Yahoo

Okay, so I know this is a search engine, not a webpage, but still.  But the way I use Yahoo is much more like a website than a search engine. I actually perfer to use Google as a search engine.  I use Yahoo just about every day to keep up with world news.  Now, not every story they feature in their rotator is of interest to me, but I at least read the headlines.  I also like to see what’s trending and why.  This helps me to stay current with teens and adults instead of looking like a complete dolt when it comes to current events.

Number 9 – urbandictionary.com Urban Dictionary

Ever see an acroynym on Facebook and been clueless?  Ever heard a teen use an expression and had no idea what they were talking about?  This is the website for you.  I don’t have very many websites favorited on my iPhone, but this is one I do.  There are very few occassions when the term I want to find is not on this site.  There are some very strong expressions found at this website, so you might want to keep this one adults only.

Number 10 – youtube.com YouTube

Like Yahoo, I know it’s not a top secret site you have never heard of, but it is really a great place to go when you work with teens.  I have used Youtube videos in many teen programs, for many different reasons.  For instance, I have used it as a resource for digital storytelling and I have used it for pure entertainment in programs.  When you share one of your favorite videos with a teen, they will watch and want to show you one of their favorites and you can go on like this for a really long time.  And how cool do you look when they are talking about a viral video and you can join in on the conversation?  If you’re not a Youtube junkie, you’ll be surprised at how long you can stay on the site.

There you have it!  Hope you found something useful and don’t forget to list your favs in the comments.

The YALSA Nominating Committee for 2012 has been working hard to select candidates for this year’s election. The Excellence in Nonfiction Award Committee honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a November 1 – October 31 publishing year. The Committee is made up of eight members, including the chair. You can read the Committee policies and procedures on the YALSA website.

This is your chance to get to know this year’s candidates nominated to serve on the Excellence in Nonfiction Committee. Polls are open March 19 to April 27.

Today we have an interview with Karen Keys.

What experience do you have that makes you a good candidate for the Excellence in Nonfiction Award?
I’m about to celebrate five years as a librarian, and I want to focus my time and energy on work that will allow me to give back to the division that supported me as a new librarian.

I’ve followed a typical trajectory for participation in YALSA. I started out on a process committee (Technology for Teens), and I’ve been serving on the Alex Awards committee for the last three years. Reading adult books for the committee has been incredibly worthwhile, but I’m really looking forward to getting back to YA. Being on an award committee has helped fine-tune my critical reading skills.

Why do you want to be a member of this awards committee?
I think some librarians and educators have the misconception that only a certain type of teen reader likes to read non-fiction or teens only like to read a certain type of non-fiction. Teens reading tastes are just as varied as adults, and it’s up to us to help them discover their next read.

What are you most looking forward to in being a part of this award decision process?
The simple stuff: the reading, the discussion, and that feeling of excitement once the decision has been made.

What do you feel are the key factors for decision-making for the Excellence in Nonfiction Award?
Many of the award charges are written in a way that is deliberately vague, and each committee interprets it in a different way. It’s important to select books that are going to promote a wider readership of nonfiction, but also ones that are outstanding examples of what the genre can be. Strong writing, impeccable research, and teen appeal are all factors to judge a nonfiction book’s merit.

The reading load for awards committees is very high, how do you plan on managing the work load of award committee life?
It’s necessary to start with a realistic expectation of the workload, an estimate of the total number of titles to be read. As the Alex Awards committee chair, I outlined this for members by explicitly stating that they should expect to read at least 100 titles over 11 months. From there, you aim for nine books a month and monitor whether you’re hitting your targets. If a committee reads 300 books, you work back from there.

Also, you just accept that at certain points, your life belongs to the books. I spent a recent week in Vermont reading by the fire as my friends skied, ice skated, and stomped in the snow.

What have you learned from past experiences on awards, juries, or other YALSA committees that you will bring with you to this committee?
It’s important to select books that teens want to read and not just pick the books we want them to want them to read. I always try to imagine how I would book talk a title, and think about what type of reader would choose this selection.

In your experience how has the YALSA Awards and Selected Lists helped you as a librarian, or made your work better or easier or different than expected?
Librarians don’t always have as much time as they would like to spend collection evaluation/development. YALSA Awards and Selected Lists are additional aids that can be used in selection. When I started out as a young adult librarian, I used lists like PPYA and Quick Picks to discover possible “holes” in my collection.

Do you have a favorite Tweet from the past week? If so add it in the comments for this post. Or, if you read a Twitter post between February 10 – February 16 that you think is a must for the next Tweets of the week send a direct or @ message to lbraun2000 on Twitter.

This evening, I attended author Wes Moore’s presentation in my community. He wrote, The Other Wes Moore, which was on YALSA’s 2011 Alex Awards nominations list as an adult book having special appeal to teens. He garnered a standing ovation.

Fortunately, there was a large presence of teens who most of the program was devoted to as they got to ask Wes questions which ranged from “If you were me, what would you do with your life?’ to “What do you hope for your family?”

If you haven’t read the book, I won’t ruin it for you. In Wes’ words, it is a call to action. It tells the story of the circumstances and opportunities he had and where his life diverged with another Wes Moore who grew up in the same neighborhood, close in age, but very different outcome in his life. The author encourages the reader to look at what opportunities they can give others-no matter how small, that can make all the difference.

As librarians, we do this every day. Whether it’s through matching a teen with a book to just listening to them after a long day. Thinking of our own opportunities and choices that we’ve encountered in our own lives can help give us a better perspective on the influence we do have on teens. Who do you remember or who is helping guide you now? It might have been something seemingly small that made all the difference.

What? What’s Booze for Books?
It’s a fundraising event in support of Books for Teens which focuses on raising money to get books into the hands of needy young adults.

How do you get involved?
The idea is that people around the country, and maybe around the world, will sponsor a Booze for Books fundraising event on April 12. Events can come in all shapes and sizes. You might have a book discussion group that night and ask those who attend to donate an amount of their choice to Books for Teens. Or, you might have a happy hour at your home and raffle off a prize to attendees. You could host something at a local bar or restaurant and raise funds via a cover charge. Or, you could have a progressive party and at each participating location have an auction.

The choice is yours, but YALSA doesn’t want you to have to figure it all out on your own. That’s why there is a brand new fundraising guide that gives you lots of information about how to fundraise for YALSA, what Books for Teens is all about, and ideas for types of events you might host in your community. The guide even includes thank you templates and donation forms. And, there are recipes for book themed cocktails created just for Booze for Books.

And speaking of Booze for Books cocktails, why not create book themed cocktails for your Booze for Books event? We’ve got a Pinterest Board ready for your photos and recipes. Snap a picture of your specially created cocktail and post it on the Board. Or, grab an image of the cover of the book that inspired your recipe and post that along with the recipe. Maybe your book-themed cocktail will be tested and tasted by those in another part of the country.

We’ve also put together a Google Map for people who plan on participating in Booze for Books to let others know about their event. Check out the map and add your pin. Along with your pin feel free to include details about what type of activity you will include at your event and how you plan to raise funds for Books for Teens at your Booze for Books celebration. If you don’t yet know what you are going to do at your event, feel free to pin your location without details and you can add the details later. It will be great to see where all the events are going to take place on April 12.

Over the next several weeks you’ll hear more about Booze for Books here on the YALSAblog, on YALSA’s Books for Teens Facebook page, and on other social media outlets. Talk with your friends and colleagues about the event and get started planning what you are going to do. You don’t want to miss the first ever Bookze for Books.

If you would like to donate to Books for Teens outside of a special event you can do so via the Facebook Books for Teens page or send a donation by check to YALSA, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611, attention: Books for Teens.

If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments or send me an email at lbraun@leonline.com.

The YALSA Nominating Committee for 2012 has been working hard to select candidates for this year’s election. The Excellence in Nonfiction Award Committee honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a November 1 – October 31 publishing year. The Committee is made up of eight members, including the chair. You can read the Committee policies and procedures on the YALSA website.

This is your chance to get to know this year’s candidates nominated to serve on the Excellence in Nonfiction Committee. The polls are open March 19 to April 27.

Today we have an interview with Jamison Hedin.

What experience do you have that makes you a good candidate for the Excellence in Nonfiction Award?
I have been a high school library media specialist since 2008. I work extensively with subject area teachers to evaluate and select nonfiction materials for academic, personal interest, and recreational reading for students between the ages of 14 and 18. I have also served for two terms as a member of YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers.

Why do you want to be a member of this awards committee?
Nonfiction for young adults is a growing genre, but it is still challenging to find truly engaging and well-written titles targeted specifically for the YA market. I would love to help promote the genre and help other librarians identify excellent books.

What are you most looking forward to in being a part of this award decision process?
I am eager to participate in the discussion of nominated titles with my colleagues. In my previous selection committee experience, the discussion and debate among committee members was really thought-provoking.

What do you feel are the key factors for decision-making for the Excellence in Nonfiction Award?
The quality of the writing, authority of information, and accessibility of the presentation are the three most important factors to me. A book on a fascinating topic can end up being useless if the writing and presentation are weak, while excellent writing and an engaging format can elevate a topic that might not be initially appealing.

The reading load for awards committees is very high, how do you plan on managing the work load of award committee life?
In my experience, the key is to integrate the work of the committee into your daily routine as much as possible. While I was on Quick Picks, I used many of the nominations in regularly scheduled book talks or found other ways to incorporate them into my daily work. When preparing for classes or programs is synonymous with your committee work, it makes the reading load more manageable.

What have you learned from past experiences on awards, juries, or other YALSA committees that you will bring with you to this committee?
The most important lesson I have taken from my selection committee experience is to remember that your library and your patrons are not the only potential settings and readers for a title. It’s so important to take other populations into consideration – just because something doesn’t work in your setting doesn’t mean it won’t work elsewhere.

In your experience how has the YALSA Awards and Selected Lists helped you as a librarian, or made your work better or easier or different than expected?
Like many librarians, I use the YALSA award and honor books and selected lists as collection development tools. They are invaluable resources, especially in genres and formats that might not be my personal favorites. I also use them to guide my own reading – the strength of the committee model lies in the ability of a group to discover titles that you might miss on your own.

An enriched graphic novel, this app explodes stories drawn from Charles Dickens’Sketches by Boz: illustrative of every-day life and every-day people, to create a real sense of place from a combination of striking monochromatic art and theatrical narration.

The first installment looks at the nineteenth century slums surrounding London’s now-tony shopping area known as the Seven Dials. Faithful to the source text, the narrative describes its warren of streets and the gin shop habitues and the nuanced distinctions in dress which Victorians would have used as class signifiers. Future installments will look at the infamous Newgate Prison, gin shops, the streets, and pawnbrokers.

The app, produced by the Museum of London to coincide with the first major exhibition in the U.K. devoted to Dickens in more than 40 years, embeds rich historical details which are layered into page layout, as well as a map which enables you to toggle between contemporary and historical topographies of the city.

This iOS app is sure to appeal to teens who are celebrating the bicentennial of Dickens’ birth February 7th and graphic novel enthusiasts. It also provides a wonderfully visual explanation for teachers introducing the desuetude and debauchery of Victorian London. Some iTunes reviewers express dissatisfaction with the navigation, but the embedded instructions are helpful.

For more App of the Week posts, see the Archive.