YALSA

Thinking About Board Meetings

Sarah Debraski — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 23:08:59 +0000

Hello YALSA world!

I am so excited to be here in Chicago at the ALA Annual Conference. Along with the rest of the Board I’ve been busy reading our Board documents and preparing for the meeting, as well as for our other scheduled events.

We’ll be covering many items during the course of the agenda including some that propose new ways of serving members.

I find it useful to gain context and history by reading past minutes of prior Board meetings. These can be accessed here:

http://ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/boardandcommittees/boardcommittees.cfm#minutes

All Board meetings are open. There have been a couple of schedule changes to the agenda. Item #21 will be addressed around 5pm on Saturday and item #14 will be addressed around 11am on Monday.

I look forward to seeing many of you very soon!

Sarah Cornish Debraski

YALSA President

YALSA Board Work - Check it Out

Linda Braun — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 03:41:23 +0000

Earlier today I posted about various ways people can get involved in, and learn about, YALSA during Annual Conference. In that post I linked to the documents that support the work of the Board during the upcoming Conference, and highlighted that anyone is welcome to attend Board meetings. There’s one more thing you can do to interact with the YALSA Board, that is to visit the YALSA wiki and comment on topics that will be covered by the Board during their Annual Conference meetings.

Visit the YALSA wiki conference page, and you’ll find a link to the YALSA Members Only section where you can download the Board documents. You’ll also find a link to a wiki page on which you can comment on those documents.

It’s Time

Linda Braun — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:54:58 +0000

Later today I’ll be jetting my way to Chicago for what I expect will be a whirlwind week at Annual Conference. There’s a lot that I’m looking forward to. I thought about writing about all of it here, but then thought, readers can find out about all of the great programs on the YALSA wiki. There are, however, a couple of things I want to highlight about Annual Conference 2009, particularly to those that are new to Conference and perhaps to YALSA.

First, if you are new, YALSA Is made up of a great welcoming bunch of people. If you see someone wearing a YALSA pin or an orange ribbon on their name badge go right up and introduce yourself. I promise, you’ll get a friendly response. I know it can be a bit scary to walk into a meeting, program, or event and not know a soul. But, that’s one of the reasons we have those pins and badges so you can know, here’s a person I can talk to.

The Friday night Happy Hour and What TO Wear Fashion Show is a great way to meet people and connect with those you might not have seen for a long time. it’s going to be noisy no doubt, but ever since YALSA started the Friday Night Happy Hour tradition it seems that it’s the first stop to make when starting out at conference.

On Saturday morning, YALSA All Committee is a very good way to learn about the work of the Division and get a feel for what you might want to get involved in. This too can be intimidating, if you’ve never been before you’ll discover All Committee is held in a big room with many people milling around and sitting at tables. YALSA members will be stationed at the doors of All Committee to meet and greet so don’t hesitate to introduce yourself to one of us. When at All Committee, if you aren’t on a Committee, you should definitely feel free to sit at a few different tables in order to find out what Committees are working on and how you might get involved.

Saturday afternoon is the first of YALSA’s Board meetings. These meetings are open to anyone who wants to attend and learn about the work of the Division. It’s a very good way to get a sense of how things work in YALSA and learn about upcoming projects and priorities. YALSA members can access the Board agenda and materials in the For Members Only section of the YALSA web site.

On Monday afternoon YALSA sponsors the President’s Program and Membership Meeting. Not to sound like a broken record, but…. this is again a good opportunity to meet others and find out about what YALSA is up to. The bonus is that you’ll also get to learn about how librarians can support teen creativity through programs and services as that’s the topic of discussion following the Membership Meeting.

If you take a look at YALSA’s wiki page for Conference you’ll see that there is quite a lot going on that I haven’t mentioned. Programs, events, and more.

As always, when Conference rolls around I find that I’m looking forward to seeing people that I’ve been tweeting and emailing with over the past several months and having the chance to talk to them in person. I’m looking forward to working with my fellow Board members on helping to shape the programs and services of YALSA for the next several years. And, I’m also looking forward to getting a chance to find out what new members are up to and interested in. If you see me at Conference, definitely feel free to come up and introduce yourself. I’m the one dressed in black.

Speak out! Influence legislators about programs for teens

Maureen Ambrosino — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:57:52 +0000

Every year, the Legislation Committees of YALSA, ALSC and AASL take turns presenting a program at ALA Annual. This year, ALSC has organized an exciting, important, and very timely program. Emily Sheketoff, ALA Washington Office Executive Director, and Stephanie Vance, ALA Advocacy Guru are presenting a program about legislation advocacy relevant to members of all the youth divisions. This is an amazing opportunity! Two of the best informed and most savvy legislation leaders will address advocacy for programs for children and young adults in public and school libraries. Please join us and learn how to advocate with and for your teens!

Title: Speak Out! Influence Legislators about Programs for Youth in School and Public Libraries
Time: Sunday, July 12, 10:30 am — 12:00 pm
Location: McCormick Place West, W-185

Hope to see you there!

Maureen Ambrosino, Chair, YALSA Legislation

YALSA Podcast #73 Matthew Moffett interviews Pam Holley

Heidi Dolamore — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 05:21:28 +0000

Matthew Moffett and Pam Spencer Holley discuss the new book Pam edited for YALSA, Popular Reads for Teens, and the history of some YALSA book lists. The book compiles information from Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults and Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers along with annotations and program ideas.
Listen

Teens’ Top Ten Nominees: Eternal

Allen County Public Library — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:05:34 +0000

Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith, a novel set in the same parallel world as her previous book Tantalize, is not the typical vampire romance. Instead it is a breath of fresh air as it explores a new fantastical pairing.

The story is told by Miranda, a high-schooler turned vampire (”Eternal”) princess, and Zachary, her adoring guardian angel. After Miranda joins the legions of the undead, she is adopted by the King of the Mantle of Dracul, otherwise known as the reigning Dracula. Because Zachary reveals himself as an angel while attempting to protect Miranda the night she is taken, he is stripped of his wings. The only way to regain his heavenly powers is to complete a mysterious assignment. Zachary is led to Dracula’s castle, where he soon accidentally interviews to be the Eternal princess’ personal assistant. As he finds himself face to face with Miranda, his long lost girl, he makes it his goal to save her soul. Miranda realizes that she is falling in love with this strange human as they work together to plan her Father’s Death Day gala, although soon she discovers that Zachary isn’t as human as she thought.

Their love story, one of a vampire and an angel, has never been told in such an amusing fashion. With a cast of vibrant and contemporary characters, Eternal is a must-read. Smith employs the perfect combination of wit and sincerity, making for an enthralling tale that is almost impossible to put down. Eternal will keep readers entertained through the very last page. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good romance, and even to those who don’t. I doubt that anyone could be disappointed after reading this amazing novel. — Tara Olivero, Allen County Public Library Teen Advisory Board

Eternal is one of 25 Teens’ Top Ten nominees chosen by teen advisory groups from around the country. Read all about TTT here.

The YALSA Update: YALSA, Annual Conference, and You!

Stephanie Kuenn — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:25:37 +0000

Annual Starts Next Week! Here’s what you need to know as YALSA prepares for ALA Annual Conference!

Coming to Chicago? Download the PDF Schedule to see where all of YALSA’s meetings and activities are. Read through the YALSA Wiki for details on our programs, meetings and events and to learn more about the city. Twittering about conference or posting photos to Flickr? Use hashtag #yalsaac09.

Can’t Make It? Keep your eye on the blog and on Twitter! We’ll be blogging, liveblogging, Twittering, taking videos and podcasting for all our members who couldn’t make it.

After the jump, details on YALSA’s conference plans!

Get in the Know If you’re arriving early, come to YALSA 101 on Friday, July 9 at Westin River North, Promenade Ballroom A from 4-5 p.m. We’ll offer an overview of the division and its activities. New members and those considering membership will learn more about the benefits, and established members are welcome to attend this great networking opportunity.

Buying Tickets Onsite: Tickets will be available onsite for the YALSA Happy Hour & Fashion Show ($10) ; the Morris Award Presentation & YA Authors Coffee Klatch ($25 onsite; limited availability); and the Printz Program and Reception ($35 onsite). Tickets can be purchased at the door from YALSA staff.

Other Award Events: On Sunday from 10:30-12:30 in McCormick Place West, W-179, Alex Award-winning authors Toby Barlow for his book Sharp Teeth, Stephen G. Bloom and photographer Peter Feldstein for their book The Oxford Project, Hillary Jordan for her book Mudbound and Todd Tucker for his book Over and Under will be speaking. On Monday, after the President’s Program and Membership Meeting, attend the Odyssey Awards Presentation and Reception, with appearances by Mirron Willis and Sherman Alexie. Refreshments at Odyssey are courtesy of the Audio Publishers Association.

Events in the Exhibits: YALSA will host two meet-and-greet sessions in its booth in the Membership Pavilion (#3034). On Saturday, July 10, come meet Pam Spencer Holley, editor of YALSA’s latest publication, Quick and Popular Reads for Teens, from 3-4 p.m. On Sunday, YALSA’s president, Sarah Cornish Debraski, will be available to answer your questions and listen to your concerns.

Wireless at Conference ALA is paying for WiFi only at McCormick Place’s West building during the ALA Conference. It will be available at no charge in the public areas and meeting rooms in the West building and the Hyatt Conference Center. It will not be available for free in the Exhibit Hall, South Building or in the other hotels (w/ the exception of the Hyatt conference center). The following applications and Internet activities will NOT function and/or may disrupt other attendee access:

Audio, Video, Data Streaming
Network Address Translation (NAT)
Net Meeting (inbound or outbound)
Inbound SNMP
Inbound Remote Control applications (Citrix, PC Anywhere, Remote Terminal Service, etc)
Routing Devices
Virtual Private Networks
Inbound FTP
Advanced Instant Messaging (such as whiteboard sharing)

Teens’ Top Ten Nominees- Truancy: Origins

Allen County Public Library — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:40:36 +0000

Fifteen years ago, the Mayor of the Education City was presented with an unwelcome surprise by his superiors: twin six-month-old boys whom he must raise as his own. As the Mayor reluctantly accepted the two babies, Umasi and Zen, he had no way of knowing that when they grew up, they would change the city forever…

A somewhat chilling tale of education gone horribly awry, it’s nonetheless an outstanding read. This action packed science fiction novel has everything a reader could want – beautifully detailed fight scenes, an intricate plot, and very realistic characters. It’s even got a love story in it! How much better does it get? –Joe Kaufeld, ACPL Teen Advisory Board

Truancy: Origins is one of 25 Teens’ Top Ten nominees chosen by teen advisory groups from around the country. Read all about TTT here.

YALSA Chat on Summer Reading Programs

Stephanie Kuenn — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:06:19 +0000

Last night, YALSA hosted a lively online chat in ALA Connect on summer reading programs. Thank you to all of our participants and to Sarah Debraski for leading it! Read the full transcript (PDF).

If you weren’t able to attend (or even if you did attend) the chat and have follow-up ideas or questions feel free to add them to the comments. Keep an eye on the blog to find out when we’ll have our next online chat and what topic we’ll use.

YALSA Leadership - Annual 2009 Edition

Linda Braun — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:50:34 +0000

In this series of audio files learn about some of the ins and outs of YALSA’s Committees, Interest and Discussion Groups, web tools, and projects. The short audio files (each is between three and 15 minutes) cover YALSA’s:

Organization & Bylaws Committee with Chair Melissa Rabey and YALSA President Sarah Debraski Organization & Bylaws
Financial Health and Advancement with Fiscal Officer Mary Hastler Financial Health & Fiscal Advancement

Publishing with YALSA with Committee Chair Heather Booth Publications
YALSA Interest and Discussion Groups with Joseph WilkYALSA Interest and Discussion Groups

To learn more about how YALSA works visit the YALSA Governance, Handbook, Interest and Discussion Groups, and Committee pages on the Division web site. If you are interested in joining a YALSA committee don’t forget to fill out the volunteer form.

More information on YALSA and the economy is available in a recent podcast with Mary Hastler. The topic also was a part of a chat held recently by YALSA. The transcript of that chat is available.

Projects and resources mentioned in the podcasts include: