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.

ALSC Online Education

Registration is now open for ALSC’s winter Online Education courses!  All five courses begin on Feb. 1 and last four to six weeks, depending on the course.  Course space is limited, so please register early to reserve your spot.  Don’t miss this great opportunity to liven up your library this winter!

Connecting with Tween Readers
Examine the developmental needs and abilities of children ages 10-12, and learn why children of this age group are particularly vulnerable to illiteracy.  Participants will discuss unique activities and programs (including the utilization of currently popular technologies) libraries can offer to keep children on the path to becoming lifelong readers. A primary focus of the course will be studying the literature available for tweens.  The instructor is Edward T. Sullivan.

View more information about Connecting with Tween Readers on the ALSC Web site.

Information Literacy – From Preschool to High School
Learn how to conduct information literacy instruction for children of all ages.  Participants will be encouraged to examine their local schools’ and state’s requirements pertaining to library skills, and to develop methods of using the library to complement those requirements.  The course will include examples of successful programs, and participants will also discuss ways that information literacy instruction can be a useful “outreach” tool.  The instructor is Maryann Mori, director of the Waukee (Iowa) Public Library.

View more information about Information Literacy – From Preschool to High School on the ALSC Web site.

The Newbery Medal: Past, Present and Future
Discuss the different aspects of the Newbery award, as well as the history of the medal and how it has changed over time.  Participants are given an opportunity to read, discuss and consider past and present Newbery winners with their colleagues from across the nation.  The instructor is Kathleen T. Horning, director of the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

View more information about The Newbery Medal: Past, Present and Future on the ALSC Web site.

Reading Instruction and Children’s Books***
This course focuses on the different methodologies for reading instruction and how to determine and interpret grade-level assigned books to effectively assist patrons.  Participants will then evaluate children’s materials for grade-level of reading and develop strategies for clearly communicating this system to parents and teachers.  The instructor is Katherine Todd, adjunct instructor at Manhattanville (N.Y.) College.

View more information about Reading Instruction and Children’s Books on the ALSC Web site.

***This course fills up extremely quickly; there will be a wait list once the course is full.

Series Programming for Elementary School Age
All kids love series books!  That’s why this course will teach participants how to add series clubs to the library in order to get children reading and using the library more. Using trivia, games, music and reading, children will come back for more each week. Series such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Magic Tree House, Spiderwick, Fancy Nancy, Froggy, Curious George and American Girl will be discussed.  The instructor is Lisa M. Shaia, children’s librarian at Oliver Wolcott Public Library.

View more information about Series Programming for Elementary School Age on the ALSC Web site.

Courses are taught asynchronously using Moodle, an online learning community.  A certificate of completion will be sent to participants upon successful completion of the course.  Detailed descriptions and registration information is available on the ALSC Web site at www.ala.org/alsced.  Fees are $95 for personal ALSC members; $145 for personal ALA members; and $165 for non-members.

Questions?  Please contact ALSC Deputy Director Kirby Simmering at ksimmering AT ala DOT org or (312) 280-2164.

December 1, 2009 is the deadline for the following award/grant applications.
Applications for awards and grants are now available on the ALSC Web site at www.ala.org/alsc If you have any questions please contact Linda Ernst, Grant Administration Committee, Chair <lindaern[at]kcls[dot]org>

Association for Library Services to Children

•    Bookapalooza! Each year the ALSC office receives almost 3,000 newly
published books, videos, audio books and recordings from children’s trade publishers for award and notables consideration.  At the end of the year, after the awards have been given out, ALSC selects three libraries to receive a Bookapalooza collection of these materials (estimated to be worth $10,000 each) to be used in a way that creatively enhances their library service to children and families.

•    ALSC/BWI Summer Reading Grant provides $3,000 in financial assistance to a public library for developing an outstanding summer reading program for children.

•    The Penguin Young Readers Group Award provides a $600 stipend, provided by Penguin Young Reader’s Group, for winners to attend their first ALA Annual Conference.  Applicants must have less than 10 years of experience as a children’s librarian and work directly with children.

•    The Maureen Hayes Author/Illustrator Award was established with funding from Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, in honor of Maureen Hayes, to bring together children and nationally recognized authors/illustrators.  This award provides $4,000 to fund an author/illustrator visit to a school or public library.

YALSA Teens Top Ten

It’s time for your teens to vote for their favorite on YALSA’s Teen’s Top Ten! Teens pick 3 of the favorite books from this list. Looking at the list it’s hard to narrow it down to only three books. Voting ends September 18th.

What I have learned on Twitter so far…

The Jonas Brothers are in Paris. They did a concert this past weekend and posted a picture . Their album “Lines, Vines and Trying Times” comes out tomorrow, June 16th. NPR reported that since the brothers are getting older, they want their fans to grow with them.

Jonas Brothers in Paris 2009

Google is adding a search for Creative Commons images http://tr.im/oop5. Creative Commons are licensed works that you can share, remix and reuse.

A co-worker here at ODL writes the Extremely Graphic blog on the NewsOK web site. Sadie Mattox, reference librarian, is a dedicated manga/graphic novel/comic book reader. While she’s away on maternity leave, Bill Young, ODL’s Public Information Office Division Administrator will be writing.

And finally, ALA reports there are now more public library buildings, a total of 16,592 including branches, in the United States than McDonalds. And, the best part? You can read all the books you want and not feel guilty.

The National Endowment for the Arts published a report on teen reading and reading skills. YALSA has written a rebuttal defining what reading is when it comes to teens. And ALA has their official response as well.

YALSA is offering four online courses this fall: “Booktalks Quick and Simple,” “New Technologies and New Literacies for Teens,” “Reaching Teens with Gaming” and “YALSA Competencies Live.”

“Booktalks Quick and Simple” and “Reaching Teens with Gaming” will run October 1 to October 31; “New Technologies and New Literacies for Teens” and “YALSA Competencies Live” will run October 1 to November 9. Registration opened on August 27, 2007.

“Booktalks Quick and Simple” participants will learn what a booktalk is and how to booktalk with teens. Sessions will focus on how to create hooks for books, share the talks with teens and experiment with a variety of booktalking techniques. Nancy Keane will teach this course.

Participants in “New Technologies and New Literacies for Teens” will have the opportunity to talk with others about teen use of technology and how that use improves literacy skills. They will also have the chance to create a framework for a program or service at their library that supports teen technology-based print literacy. Linda Braun will teach this course.

The main focus of “Reaching Teens with Gaming” is to educate non-gamers about what video games are, to eliminate stereotypes and fears about video games and to introduce librarians to a medium that engages the free time of more than 80 percent of their teen clientele. Beth Gallaway will teach this course.

“YALSA Competencies Live,” an introduction to YALSA’s Competencies for Librarians Serving Youth, program will show participants how all of the aspects of good service to young adults work together, as well as how to plan for growing teen services in school or public libraries. Amy Alessio will teach this course.

Course registration is available online until September 17 at www.ala.org/yalsa. The cost for each four-week course, the equivalent of a one-day face-to-face workshop, is $135 for YALSA members, $175 for ALA members and $195 for non-members. The cost for each six-week course, the equivalent of a one-and-one-half-day face-to-face workshop, is $149 for YALSA members, $195 for ALA members and $215 for non-members. More tips on taking online courses can be found on the YALSA Web site at: http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/onlinecourses/info.htm.

For 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos, and audiobooks for teens. For more information about these awards or for additional lists of recommended reading, go to www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists.

For more information about YALSA, please contact us via e-mail, yalsa AT ala.org; or by phone at 1-800-545-2433 ext. 4390.

[posted with permission]

From YALSA:

The last day to register for Teen Read Week is Monday, Sept. 17th – in just one week! Don’t wait any longer. Register today. It’s free and easy to do. Simply visit YALSA’s Teen Read Week webpage at www.ala.org/teenread and click on Register Now.

Officially registering helps YALSA in many ways, such as securing funding for important projects like the 2007 World Book – ALA Goal Award. TRW registration figures played an important part in YALSA’s successful application for this $10,000 grant to improve teen library services in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

All YALSA members who register will receive a free paperback book, courtesy of Teen Read Week Promotional Partner Scholastic. More than one person can register per Library system.

Other opportunities you’ll find at the Teen Read Week webpage include:

• Information about how your Library could win a visit with author Tiffany Trent, courtesy of YALSA and Mirrorstone Books, by submitting your Teen Read Week activity as a contender for this year’s best Teen Read Week program.
• Booklists, our Teen Read Week wiki and other resources to help your Library celebrate.
• The first 50 regular members to join YALSA via the TRW page will receive the Chronicles for Young Readers gift set by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman courtesy Mirrorstone Books; they will also receive nine Michael L. Printz Award–winning titles courtesy of Penguin Books for Young Readers.

I know many of you will be actively celebrating Teen Read Week in a variety of creative, dynamic ways, so why wait? Register today!

TRW is October 14 -20, 2007. The theme is LOL @ Your Library (Laugh Out Loud). Need programming ideas? Visit the TRW: Wiki! [inserted by Adrienne]

Paula
–
Are You a Friend of YALSA?
www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/givetoyalsa/give.htm

Paula Brehm-Heeger
YALSA President, 2007-2008
A Division of the American Library Association

posted with permission

FYI…

…take a moment to consider applying for money to go to the 2008 ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, California! Download an application for a Penguin Young Readers Group Award and see just how easy it is to apply. Managers and Professors: please take the time to spread the word about this opportunity!

These awards, made possible by an annual gift from the Penguin Young Readers Group, are administered by a committee of ALSC. They enable up to four children’s librarians to attend the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, CA, June 26-July 2, 2008. Four librarians working directly with children in an elementary, middle school, or public library setting will each receive $600.

Requirements for application are:

ALSC membership (applicant must be a member by the application deadline)
One to ten years experience as a children’s librarian
No previous attendance at an annual ALA Conference
The deadline for applications is Monday, December 3, 2007. For more information and to download an application, for the Penguin Young Readers Group Award, visit:

http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/profawards/
PenguinYoungReadersGroupAward/PenguinYoungReadersGrp.htm

Penguin Award Flyer (pdf)

Sincerely,

Alison O’Reilly

Penguin Young Readers Group Award Committee, Chair

Alison O’Reilly
512-462-1452
alison.oreilly AT ci.austin.tx.us