From the Editor

Valerie A. Ott

It has been my pleasure and privilege to serve as the editor of this journal for the past two years, and now it is time for me to hand the reigns to RoseMary Honnold, the very capable and accomplished author and teen services coordinator from Coshocton, Ohio.

It is an oft-repeated practice among those reflecting on their tenures to relate personal details of how their lives have changed over the years. Luckily for you, my stint as editor only spanned two years, so I can spare you the trip down my own memory lane. But it is amazing to me how YALSA has grown in that relatively short amount of time. Not only has our division learned to survive on its own financially, without ALA’s subsidization, it has thrived as the fastest-growing division in the entire organization! In addition, in just two years, YALSA has established and celebrated Teen Tech Week, created the William C. Morris Debut YA Award and the Odyssey Award, established the Great Graphic Novels for Teens list, launched the YALSA wiki and blog, began offering continuing education courses via distance learning, and commemorated its 50th Anniversary. Mind you, this list of impressive accomplishments does not replace any of the work YALSA members were already doing.

I’ve been delighted to work with three YALSA presidents: Pam Spencer-Holley, Judy Nelson, and Paula Brehm-Heeger. Each of these accomplished women navigated the YALSA ship through unchartered territory to achieve the above-named accomplishments. I’m certain that future leadership of the organization will be just as devoted, driven, and ambitious. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention YALSA’s staff. Beth Yoke, Nichole Gilbert, Stevie Kuenn, Esther Murphy, and Letitia Smith are dedicated and consummate professionals and are an integral part of YALSA’s success.

I suppose what I’m trying to say is that I am proud to have been a part of all the success and excitement YALSA has enjoyed during my relatively brief stint as editor of this journal, and I’d like to thank those mentioned above, as well as all of the authors who submitted articles to YALS, and of course, all of the YALSA members who volunteered to conduct interviews, submit book reviews, or write summaries of their committee’s work. It was a rare thing for a member to tell me he or she had too much on their plate to take on a writing assignment. In fact, I’m not sure that ever happened! So thank you for making my job easier, and for being such a great group of folks to work with and for. Signing off . . .