Category Archives: Youth Librarians

Youth Librarians – formerly Children and Young Adult Librarians (CAYAL)

Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 and Libraries

A public meeting was held January 22, and Cheryl Falvey, General Counsel for the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), stated that a decision should be made by the first week of February regarding libraries. She advised libraries not to take any action at this time, and we are hopeful that the Commission’s decision will exempt libraries.

Even with her assurances, we must let the CPSC know how important an issue this is to libraries. Please call the Acting Commissioner, Nancy Nord, at (301) 504-7901. When you call this number, wait for the automated directory to give you directions to reach Nancy Nord’s office. Explain to the Commission that it is simply impossible for libraries to remove all children’s books from the shelves and/or ban children under 12 from the library and still provide the level of service that is needed.
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ALA Councilor’s Report, Monday, January 26th

The lecture I attended yesterday by Muhammad Yunus, banker to the poor, was excellent. He is a small, unassuming man who has done amazing things for poor women in countries where his Grameen Bank gives micro-loans to lift families out of poverty. He had a simple yet revolutionary idea to lend people money to begin small businesses without a time limit on repaying the loan. He now tells stories of illiterate poor people whose children are becoming doctors and businesss people. His talk was one of the most inspirational I have ever attended.

ALA has begun a page that “offers timely and valuable information to support libraries in the creation of arts and humanities programs in their communities.”You can find more information at ProgrammingLibrarian.org. At this time the focus in on Black History Month programming, and as time goes on ALA plans to post more information.

Children’s book awards were announced this morning. The Newbury Medal goes to The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and the Caldecott Award goes to The House in the Night, illustrated by Beth Krommes.

This afternoon I have a committee meeting and expect that council business will heat up this evening when we have our first council forum. I’ll post more tomorow.

Nancy Wilson

ALA Councilor's Report, Monday, January 26th

The lecture I attended yesterday by Muhammad Yunus, banker to the poor, was excellent. He is a small, unassuming man who has done amazing things for poor women in countries where his Grameen Bank gives micro-loans to lift families out of poverty. He had a simple yet revolutionary idea to lend people money to begin small businesses without a time limit on repaying the loan. He now tells stories of illiterate poor people whose children are becoming doctors and businesss people. His talk was one of the most inspirational I have ever attended.
ALA has begun a page that “offers timely and valuable information to support libraries in the creation of arts and humanities programs in their communities.”You can find more information at ProgrammingLibrarian.org. At this time the focus in on Black History Month programming, and as time goes on ALA plans to post more information.
Children’s book awards were announced this morning. The Newbury Medal goes to The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and the Caldecott Award goes to The House in the Night, illustrated by Beth Krommes.
This afternoon I have a committee meeting and expect that council business will heat up this evening when we have our first council forum. I’ll post more tomorow.
Nancy Wilson

Leonard Marcus Lecture in Rhode Island

This seems like an interesting event for some adventurous children’s librarians to attend. And if not, the book sounds great:

In conjunction with the current exhibition Building Books: The Art of David Macaulay (description below), we invite you and your colleagues to this lecture Wednesday, January 21, 7pm:

Leonard Marcus Lecture

Noted writer, critic, and historian of children’s literature, Leonard Marcus, on his Minders of Make Believe: Idealists, Entrepreneurs, and the Shaping of American Children’s Literature (2008), the first-ever history of children’s book publishing from colonial times to Harry Potter; co-presented with the Providence Athenaeum. More about Mr. Marcus: http://www.leonardmarcus.com/.

Free and open to the public!

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Picturing America Bookshelf Grant Deadline

Public and School Libraries:

This is a reminder that the ALA/NEH “Picturing America” Bookshelf Grant application deadline is January 30, 2009.

The We the People Bookshelf, a collection of classic books for young readers (K-12), is a project of the National Endowment for the Humanities’ (NEH) We the People program, conducted in cooperation with the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office.

The theme for the 2008-2009 Bookshelf is “Picturing America.”

A total of 4,000 public and school (K-12) libraries will be selected to receive the “Picturing America” Bookshelf. Awards will be announced in April 2009.

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Green Mountain Book Award and the Young Writers Project

The Green Mountain Book Award (GMBA) is once again partnering with the Young Writer’s Project (YWP). For this partnership to be a success we need your help. Teachers, librarians and parents: encourage your students to get involved!

The Young Writers Project (www.youngwritersproject.org) is an interactive website (wiki) where “writers share ideas, comment on each other’s work, learn from mentors and professionals and connect with the world”. Click on their “about us” link to learn all about this amazing website for teens who love to write, want to discuss their work and to learn more about the writing process.

Geoff Gevalt of YWP has put our 2008-2009 GMBA list front and center on their website. Just head to: youngwritersproject.org/GMBA

From there you can access the GMBA forum and link to additional resources about Vermont’s teen book award. The forum offers reviews of the titles and encourages students to comment on the 2008-2009 list. Be sure to remind students who have read 3 nominated titles to vote for their favorite in the spring of 2009.

Once you’re there, check out all that the Young Writers Project has to offer. It’s a great website with many exciting writing opportunities.

Traveling Doll and Book Exhibit Available to Borrow

Please know that there is a traveling doll and book exhibit available to borrow for free beginning March 2009. This is particularly great for public and school libraries.

It is free to borrow and is sponsored by Region 15 of the United Federation of Doll Clubs (an international non-profit educational organization). Region 15 consists of Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire. Items in the collection consist of cloth dolls, plush animals and children’s books. Characters from the books are represented by the dolls and animals in the exhibit. It was started in 1999 and has made many stops  in the New England area.

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Vermont Librarian needed as NERTCL Committee Member

As your New England Library Association (NELA) representative, I’ve been asked by the chair of the New England Roundtable of Teen and Children’s Librarians (NERTCL) to find a Vermonter to join the committee.

 Who is NERTCL? NERTCL is a group of librarians from all over New England who are dedicated to providing continuing education programs for librarians working with children and young adults through conferences and workshops. NERTCL sponsors the youth programs at the NELA Fall Conference and host an annual Spring Symposium comprised of a panel of children’s and teen authors and/or illustrators. NERTCL also hosts the Jordan Miller Storytelling Workshop on alternate years with the Massachusetts Library Association. At NERTCL meetings, members exchange news of library events and programs throughout New England; members benefit from the ideas and experiences of their colleagues.

Participation in this committee will require energy, enthusiasm, time committments, and travel to meetings throughout New England. Vermont is underrepresented in NELA committees so it would be nice if we could start interjecting this committee with all of the great stories, successes, and best practices of our state’s great children’s librarians.

If you are interested in participating, please contact the chair of the NERTCL committee, April Mazza, at (508)358-2308 or amazza@minlib.net. For further information on the NERTCL committee, check out their website at http://www.nelib.org/nertcl/index.htm.

 Thanks,

Kip M. Roberson, VT NELA Representative

Adirondack Author Creates a Science Reference Website

I spoke at the Vermont Library Association Conference a couple years back and at that time was developing a science reference website for K-8.  The site has just received the American Library Association inclusion in their 2008 Great Web Sites for Kids.

I hoped librarians in Vermont might share it with their teachers and students if it is helpful. It’s called the Exploring Nature Educational Resource.  http://www.exploringnature.org

I hope you find it useful for a science supplement.

 

Best wishes,

Sheri Amsel

Exploring Nature Educational Resource

www.makingtrackschallenge.com

www.exploringnature.org

YALSA’s MAE Award for Best Literature Program for Teens

This award honors a YALSA member for developing an outstanding reading or literature program for young adults. Winners receive $500 and an additional $500 for their libraries. Applications for the MAE Award, along with all of YALSA’s grants and awards, are due to the YALSA office by Dec. 1.The MAE Award for Best Literature Program for Teens is sponsored by the Margaret A. Edwards Trust.

Edwards was a well-known and innovative young adult services librarian at Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Md., for more than 30 years. Her trust has supported many initiatives from YALSA, including the Alex Awards for adult books with teen appeal and all five rounds of the Excellence in Library Service to Young Adults project.

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