CYA: Children & Young Adults

Explore diversity, teens and reading with the Young Adult Library Services Association this November!

YALSA will host the biennial Young Adult Literature Symposium in Albuquerque, New Mexico, November 5-7!

This year’s theme, “Diversity, Literature, and Teens: Beyond Good Intentions,” discusses today’s generation of teens — likely the most diverse generation ever. Does today’s young adult literature reflect the many different faces, beliefs and identities of today’s teens? What impact is this generation having on young adult literature and vice versa? Join YALSA as we explore the depth and breadth of contemporary literature in search of an answer to these questions.
On Friday, attendees can add an optional full-day preconference on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender topics in YA literature to their registration. They can also add optional half-day mini forums on street literature, teen readers’ advisory, or body acceptance in YA literature. On Saturday, registrants can add the optional Bill Morris Memorial Author Luncheon, featuring Vaunda Micheaux Nelson (Coretta Scott King Award winning author of Bad News for Outlaws) or a tour and reception at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.

The symposium registration includes a Friday welcome reception, educational sessions on Saturday and Sunday, and an authors’ happy hour on Saturday afternoon.

All symposium attendees will receive a continuing education certificate showing the number of contact hours each person received. For example, an attendee who attended the preconference and four sessions will earn a certificate showing they received 12 contact hours.

Early bird registration (through September 10) starts at $195 for YALSA members. You can find a preliminary program, program list, registration and more at www.ala.org/yalitsymposium.

Questions? Contact YALSA at yalsa@ala.org or 1-800-545-2433, ext. 4390.

Two new podcasts are available on the YALitLovers blog. The podcasts are discussion and reviews of current children and teen books, topical discussions and recommendations by Cathie Sue, Emily, Jenny and Adrienne. Currently, there are two podcasts: White Cat by Holly Black and Incarceron by Catherine Fisher.

Upcoming books for review are:

• The Wager by Donna Jo Napoli
• Heist Society by Ally Carter
• One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

You can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, or listen to the mp3 online.

“I leave you alone for two minutes and the wolves descend.”  Twilight

YALSA’s Fabulous Films for Young Adults Committee, http://www.ala.org/yalsa/fabfilms, is seeking and watching nominations for what will become YALSA’s 2011 Fabulous Films for Young Adults list of recommended films.

The theme is “Other Times/Other Places”. We are looking for films that are science fiction, fantasy and history and appeal to teens. All types of films are welcome from feature films and documentary to animé.

Current nominated titles:

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/fabfilms/fabfilmnoms.cfm

• The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till
• Star Trek
• Journey to the Center of the Earth
• Push
• Bedtime Stories
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Terminator Salvation
• Twilight
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine

I’ll bet you can think of several titles already. We would love to add movies your teens enjoy watching.

Nominate films, http://yalsa.ala.org/forms/fabfilm.php, for review by the selection committee. Please review the selection criteria, http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/fabfilms/fabfilmspolicies.cfm, if you have questions about whether a title would be a good nomination.

And, don’t forget…

“…to boldly go where no one has gone before.” Star Trek

This is from YAttitudes, issue 9, no 4: May 2010. Those libraries with active teen book clubs may be interested in applying for the YA Galley and your teens could participate in selecting YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten and get free books!

Your Teens Could Help Choose YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten

YALSA is accepting applications for the 2010-2012 round of YA Galley! YA Galley is an ongoing project in which publishers of young adult books provide free copies of their recent titles to teen book discussion groups in libraries. In exchange, teen readers evaluate books for the publishers.

Young adult book discussion group leaders who wish to be considered for YALSA’s YA Galley/Teens’ Top Ten project can learn more online at the Teens’ Top Ten website.  Applications are due June 1, 2010. The YA Galley committee will select 15 groups during the ALA’s Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. this June. Each selected group will serve a two-year term beginning in November 2010.

Beginning in August 2011, these select groups will nominate titles for the 2011 Teens’ Top Ten. Teens across the country will choose their favorite books of the year by voting on these nominations. Learn more at www.ala.org/teenstopten.

The Cooperative Children’s Book Center School of Education University of Wisconsin-Madison has a list of 30 multicultural books teens should read and know. Included on the list:

• Sherman Alexie’s Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
• Sharon Flake’s The Skin I’m In
• Angela Johnson’s First Part Last
• Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese

Take a look!

Learn to better utilize picture books in your library’s programming by seeing these books through the eyes of the people who create them!  Register for the ALSC 2010 Annual Conference Pre-conference, Drawn to Delight: How Picture Books Work (And Play) Today, taking place on Friday, June 25, 2010, from 8 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Space is limited; register today to reserve your spot!

Why the ALSC Pre-conference?

* Provides you with a one of a kind look into the world of picturebooks–you won’t find a more in-depth, day-long workshop on the subject anywhere else!

* Learn from more than 15 top authors and illustrators including three Caldecott medal winners, two Caldecott honor winners, one Belpré medal winner, one Coretta Scott King medal winner and one Coretta Scott King honor winner.

* Transfer the knowledge gained back to your library to provide better experiences for young patrons and families reading picture books.

* Hands-on opportunities during artist-lead small group studio sessions taking place throughout the gallery.

* Unbeatable ALSC member rate of $195 for the entire day; this includes: preconference registration, continental breakfast, lunch, evening reception, admission to the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and a chance to win original art work by the illustrators.

* If you’re not attending ALA Annual Conference that’s not a problem!  You do NOT need to register for conference to attend the preconference.

Advance registration, separate form ALA Annual Conference registration, is required for the preconference.  Costs are $249 for ALA members, $195 for ALSC members, $180 for retired and student members, and $280 for non-members.  The onsite cost will be $325 for all; advance registration ends May 15, 2010, after which time all registration will be considered onsite.  When registering for ALA Annual Conference, the event code is ALS1.  You do not need to be registered for ALA Annual Conference to attend this Preconference.

For more information, visit the ALSC Web site: www.ala.org/alscevents.  Questions should be directed to ALSC Deputy Director Kirby Simmering at ksimmering@ala.org or 1-800-545-2433, ext. 2164.

The American Library Association (ALA) Office for Diversity and the Diversity Research Grants Advisory Committee seek proposals for the Diversity Research Grant program.  Applicants must be current ALA members and 2010 proposals must address one of three identified topics:

•    Upward mobility of Library Leaders from Underrepresented Populations
•    Information Services and Collections for Diverse Children and Young Adults
•    Libraries and the Meaning of Multiculturalism
The Diversity Research Grant consists of a one-time $2,000 award for original research and a $500 travel grant to attend and present at the 2011 ALA Annual Conference. A jury of ALA members will evaluate proposals and is encouraged to award one proposal from each of this year’s topics for a total of three awards.  Grant recipients will be announced ahead of the 2010 ALA Annual Conference and will be expected to compile the results of their research into a presentation for the 2011 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA.

The application deadline is April 30.
Only proposals demonstrating relevance to the 2010 research topics will be considered.

A complete proposal must include the following: a cover letter, a one-page vita for each of the researchers involved, a concise abstract of the project and a description of the project detailing the justification and needs for the research project, research objectives, expected outcomes and benefits, budget plan and timeline.

For a complete list of the criteria on which proposals will be evaluated, please visit: http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/diversity/divresearchgrants/diversityresearch.cfm

Persons submitting a proposal must be current ALA members. If you are not presently a member of ALA, but wish to submit a proposal, please visit http://www.ala.org/membership/ for information on becoming a member. Applicants must supply membership ID numbers with proposals.

Submissions should be sent by mail to the ALA Office for Diversity, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611.  Electronic submissions are preferred and should be submitted in a Word document attachment. Email electronic submissions to diversity@ala.org.

Tulsa native and Coretta Scott King Award winning illustrator Floyd Cooper will be touring the Metropolitan Library System branches in March. He is also visiting several schools.

Cooper illustrated “The Blacker the Berry” which won the 2009 Coretta Scott King Award for illustration. Cooper also received honor awards for “Brown Honey and Broomwheat Tea“, “I Have Heard of a Land” and “One April Morning“.

PDF: Click to see locations and dates

The third and final Hunger Games book, Mockingjay, cover is out! The release date is August 24th. *dance of joy*

Congratulations to Hobart Public Library, Frederick Public Library, Hennessey Public Library and Grandfield Public Library on being January 2010 Libri Foundation Grant receipents!